Both prospective Steam Machine buyers and new owners alike have just been dealt a huge blow: Valve has stepped in to stop Drband from producing its much-coveted Companion Cube case.
After developing the product off its own back, without initially seeking licensing approval, Dbrand has been denied retroactive licensing for the project, forcing it to completely pull the plug on what has been one of the most celebrated potential add-ons to the Steam Machine.
The case was a plastic cube into which the Steam Machine could be fitted, giving the mini PC the look of the much-loved Weighted Companion Cube from Valve’s Portal games. It’s a simple, and in some ways obvious idea, but brilliant nonetheless.
However, with thousands of people having placed orders for the cube, the company has been forced to refund buyers and completely down tools on further continuing the project. Taking to Reddit, the company posted a statement explaining the situation:
“As you’ve probably noticed, the Steam Machine Companion Cube was eviscerated from our website, YouTube, and other social media platforms last week.
“The blunt version is that we made the Companion Cube without a license from Valve. Everyone who purchased a Companion Cube will have their refund issued by end-of-day. Everything else beyond this is just detail. If you want the full story, keep reading.”
In that further reading, Dbrand explains that it launched the Companion Cube project on November 12, 2025, the day the Steam Machine was announced, and that 15,000 people signed up to show interest in the cube (myself included). It then developed the product, taking over 1,000 hours and requiring the development of 44 injection moulds, eventually launching it on June 22.
However, despite it becoming “the second-fastest selling product in our 15-year history, behind only the Switch 2 Killswitch” the story quickly took a negative turn. Valve’s legal team reached out, forcing Dbrand to pull the plug on the project. The company requested a retroactive licensing agreement, but Valve said no.
Dbrand goes on to admit that the situation is entirely its own fault, and that Valve shouldn’t be blamed, saying, “Valve didn’t do anything wrong here. They built a game franchise a lot of people love and they alone get to decide how it’s used.” However, it’s not clear why Valve didn’t reach out much earlier, as Dbrand was public about its intentions from the outset.
This is a decidedly sad turn of events for what seemed like such a positive, fun celebration of a beloved gaming character/entity/object. It’s possible Dbrand and Valve may be able to resolve the situation, but the suggestion from Dbrand’s post is that the ship truly has sailed. To quote Portal’s GLaDOS, “You euthanized your faithful Companion Cube more quickly than any test subject on record.”
