Dbrand cancels Steam Machine Companion Cube, confirms it was ‘unlicensed’

Dbrand has officially cancelled its Portal‑inspired Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine. The company opened pre‑orders earlier this month, but the listing was quickly taken down. Now, Dbrand has explained why, confirming that Valve requested the product’s removal and declined to grant a licence for its release.

In a detailed post shared on Reddit, Dbrand says the Companion Cube enclosure was developed without permission from Valve. While the company initially created a concept render when the Steam Machine was first announced in November 2025, interest quickly ballooned, prompting Dbrand to turn the idea into a full physical product, without actually securing the rights to use Portal imagery.

Over the following months, Dbrand invested heavily in the project, redesigning the enclosure multiple times and even renting a university campus to film the launch video.

The case launched on June 22nd and rapidly became Dbrand’s second‑fastest‑selling product ever. Shortly afterwards, Valve’s legal team contacted the company, stating that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property and requesting that all listings and promotional material be removed. Dbrand complied immediately and attempted to negotiate a proper licence, but Valve declined.

“Given our backwards approach of building first and asking permission later, it was a fair answer,” Dbrand wrote. The company says refunds for all orders will be issued by the end of the week.

KitGuru Says: Considering Valve's component supply situation, there is a high chance that the Companion Cube would have been more readily available to buy than an actual Steam Machine. 

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