If you were hoping to outfit your new Steam Machine with Dbrand’s eye-catching Companion Cube cover, you are out of luck. The accessory, which debuted to significant online buzz, is officially dead on arrival following a swift intervention from Valve’s legal team.
Dbrand launched the cover on Monday, June 22nd, and it quickly became the second-fastest selling product in the company’s 15-year history, trailing only the Switch 2 Killswitch. Despite the initial success and a high-production launch video filmed on a rented university campus, the product’s life cycle was cut short almost immediately.
A Licensing Oversight
In a recent post on Reddit, Dbrand acknowledged that while they poured significant resources into redesigning the cover to fit the console perfectly, they failed to secure the necessary permissions for the Portal-inspired design. “They stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property, for which dbrand does not have a license,” the company explained. “They requested we take down the product and launch film immediately. This was entirely within their rights, and they were direct, fair, and respectful throughout.”
Dbrand has since scrubbed all mentions of the product from its website and social media, including YouTube. The company confirmed that all customers who pre-ordered the $99 unit will receive a full refund.
Passion Project or Clout Chasing?
The sudden cancellation raises questions about why the company moved forward with such a high-profile release without first establishing a partnership with Valve. Dbrand admitted that the project had become a true passion project for the organization, with the team repeatedly redesigning the hardware to ensure a precise fit. However, the company also actively leveraged Half-Life 3 rumors in its marketing, leaning heavily into the Valve hype cycle.
“We’re going to regret that decision for a very long time,” Dbrand wrote in their statement, acknowledging the heavy losses incurred by the venture. While the exact financial impact remains undisclosed, the company noted they were losing money on every unit sold even before the shutdown.
Despite the legal friction, early impressions of the case were positive. Tech YouTuber Tyler Price praised the accessory’s detail, noting that it was “one of the most detailed products they’ve made.” For now, the Companion Cube stands as a fleeting experiment in console customization that will likely become a rare collector's item for those few who managed to secure one before the plug was pulled.