dbrand’s Companion Cube Case Is Dead, and So Is the Partnership

dbrand has canceled its Portal Companion Cube Steam Machine case and refunded every pre-order after Valve’s legal team confirmed the design used Valve intellectual property without a license. The accessory maker had been selling the hard-shell enclosure, modeled on the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal 2, since June 22, and called it its second-fastest-selling product in its 15-year history before pulling the listing. dbrand publicly admitted in a Reddit post that it built the case without ever asking Valve for permission.

The product launched in two tiers: a $99 “Poverty Cube” shell and a $129.95 full package that bundled an exclusive Test Chamber Steam Controller skin, a Super Button stand, and a cake-themed suede cloth. More than 15,000 people signed up to buy one within the first day, per Polygon. Valve’s lawyers then reached out, asked dbrand to take down the product page and the launch film, and declined dbrand’s offer to license the design retroactively. The original product page now redirects to a Reddit thread in which dbrand calls the outcome “a hard lesson to learn publicly.”

What dbrand Built for the Steam Machine

The Companion Cube case was a hard polycarbonate shell that fully encased Valve’s cube-shaped Steam Machine. dbrand said the design preserves airflow, includes rubber feet, keeps the rear ports unobstructed, and uses a magnetic front panel for cleaning. A pass-through for the console’s LED lets the indicator shine through without removing the case.

The $129.95 version shipped in late July with Test Chamber diorama-style packaging, the exclusive Test Chamber Steam Controller skin, the Super Button stand, and the cake-themed suede cloth. The $99 Poverty Cube stripped out the collectible packaging and the controller skin but kept the polycarbonate shell. dbrand pitched the case as a fan-pleaser for Portal owners, and The Shortcut’s pre-order coverage noted it also conceals the front I/O when not in use.

• Hard polycarbonate shell that fully encased the Steam Machine
• Magnetic, removable front panel for cleaning
• Exclusive Test Chamber Steam Controller skin
• Super Button stand
• Cake-themed suede cloth
• Late-July shipping window

dbrand said more than 1,000 hours of engineering went into the case, with 44 sets of injection molding tools built, one for each of the cube’s sub-components. The entire product was redesigned from scratch more than once to get the way it cradles the console exactly right. dbrand described it as a passion project and confirmed it was losing money on every $99 Poverty Cube sold. The launch video was ambitious enough that dbrand “literally rented out a university campus to film” it, per the company’s own Reddit post. The first Companion Cube pre-orders went live on June 22, and the case became dbrand’s second-fastest-selling product in its 15-year history before being removed from sale, trailing only the Switch 2 Killswitch.

Valve’s Lawyers Showed Up Days After Pre-Orders Opened

Valve’s legal team contacted dbrand shortly after the June 22 pre-order window opened. Valve’s lawyers stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property for which dbrand did not have a license, and requested that dbrand take down the product and the associated launch film immediately. dbrand poured 1,000 hours of engineering into the case during seven months of development without ever asking Valve whether it was allowed to use the design.

• 1,000+ hours of engineering
• 44 sets of injection molding tools
• 15,000+ sign-ups within the first day (per Polygon)
• 7 months from concept to launch
• Second-fastest-selling product in dbrand’s 15-year history

dbrand complied with the takedown request without delay and characterized the back-and-forth with Valve as direct, fair, and respectful throughout, a striking tone from a company whose brand leans into confrontation. dbrand said it tried to secure a license after the takedown request, and Valve declined. The original Companion Cube product listing was removed from dbrand’s website last week, with the page now redirecting to the company’s Reddit thread. Tom’s Hardware noted that Valve’s response was unusual in allowing dbrand to ship and sell for as long as it did before stepping in.

dbrand’s Own Apology, in Its Own Words

dbrand’s Reddit post is unusually direct for a corporate apology. The company writes in plain language, owns the mistake, and refuses to soften the consequence. dbrand called Valve “direct, fair, and respectful” throughout the exchange.

The post opens by acknowledging the Cube was “eviscerated from our website, YouTube, and other social media platforms last week,” then spells out the cause: “We made the Companion Cube without a license from Valve.” It lays out the engineering cost, the university campus shoot, the $99 Poverty Cube priced below cost, and the design team that kept at it for more than seven months. The full accounting lives in dbrand’s full announcement and the engineering details on the company’s subreddit.

Being proud of the thing we made did not give us the right to make it.

The post continues with dbrand’s official account, in a Reddit reply to a user who wrote “You guys are fucking stupid, you know that?,” answering with a single word: “Yes.” The same post ends with dbrand writing that it “incinerated our shot at bringing it to market” and that “it’s a hard lesson to learn publicly.” The company also acknowledged that “Valve didn’t do anything wrong here. We should have asked first.”

Why a Licensed Companion Cube Case Now Looks Unlikely

The end of the Companion Cube case is also the end of any near-term licensed version. Valve declined dbrand’s offer to license the design retroactively after the takedown, leaving the 44 sets of injection molding tools without an obvious second life for unlicensed Portal-themed products.

dbrand’s loss extends beyond the canceled product. The case had become dbrand’s second-fastest-selling product in its 15-year history, and a licensed follow-up would have been the most natural way to convert that demand into revenue. Tom’s Hardware drew a direct comparison to two earlier dbrand skirmishes with major platform holders: the “Darkplates” faceplates for the PS5, which Sony initially challenged and eventually allowed to return, and the “Clone of the Kingdom” Zelda skins for the Switch OLED, which stayed shut down.

Darkplates came back because Sony had opened a customization path dbrand could use. The Switch OLED Zelda skins stayed gone because Nintendo had not. A Portal-themed Steam Machine case falls on the Zelda side of that line, since Valve has not opened any Portal licensing program for third-party cases. Until that changes, the 44 sets of injection molding tools dbrand built for this design have no obvious second life.

dbrand’s brand has leaned into rule-bending for years, with the company’s online presence built around a confrontational tone. That posture works for marketing and works against it in court. The Companion Cube case was the first time the bet cost the company a product line at the height of demand rather than a single skin in the back catalog. Tom’s Hardware framed the lesson plainly: it’s one thing to design accessories with original art, and a different thing to base them on a major platform holder’s IP. Valve drawing the line on the Companion Cube now leaves dbrand with a public apology and no case to sell.

Where Steam Machine Customization Stands Without It

Steam Machine owners who still want to customize the console have one officially supported route: custom faceplates. Valve has released CAD files for the Steam Machine’s outer shell under a Creative Commons license, the same model the company used for the Steam Controller a few months ago. Third-party manufacturers can download the geometry and design faceplates without negotiating a separate license, as long as the designs do not borrow Valve-owned characters, settings, or assets.

That CAD-based path is what Valve has pointed the wider accessory ecosystem toward. The dbrand Companion Cube would have lived on the wrong side of that line, because the Companion Cube itself is Valve’s Portal IP rather than an original dbrand pattern. Other accessory makers can still use the official faceplate geometry for original art, and Valve has not signaled that the door is closing on that route. The Steam Machine itself is still rolling out, with Polygon reporting that first units are shipping to customers this week. The timing tracks with how close the Steam Machine hardware launch actually is and with how SteamOS 3.8 opens up third-party hardware support across the broader ecosystem.

Refund Timeline and What Buyers Should Do

dbrand has begun processing refunds for every Companion Cube pre-order, with end-of-day refunds arriving automatically. Customers do not need to take any action to receive the refund; dbrand is issuing them to the original payment method. The pre-order window itself was open only briefly between June 22 and the takedown, and dbrand has not announced a replacement product.

The Companion Cube is also no longer visible on dbrand’s website. The original product page now redirects to the company’s Reddit thread explaining the cancellation. dbrand has not announced any alternative design for Steam Machine owners who were interested in the case, and the 44 sets of injection molding tools built for the Cube cannot be repurposed for unlicensed Portal-themed products.

• Refunds arriving by end of day, no action required
• Original product page now redirects to the Reddit apology
• Steam Machine preorders start at $1,050 (per DualShockers)
• No replacement case announced

The cancellation lands as Valve’s Steam Machine hardware is finally rolling out, with first units shipping this week and additional inventory held behind a waitlist. dbrand’s passion project is over; the Steam Machine itself is just starting. For accessory makers watching the saga, the practical rule from dbrand’s own Reddit post is the simplest one: ask first, build second. That is the order dbrand wishes it had used, and it lands in a wider pricing moment for Valve hardware that has pushed Steam Deck prices sharply higher amid the AI memory crunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Valve ever license a Portal Companion Cube case?

Not any time soon, based on what Valve told dbrand. Valve declined dbrand’s offer to license the Companion Cube retroactively after the takedown, and no licensed Portal-themed Steam Machine case has been announced. Until Valve opens a Portal licensing path for third-party cases, the existing dbrand tooling has no obvious second life.

Can I still get a refund for the Companion Cube case?

Yes. dbrand said every pre-order is being refunded, and customers do not need to take action to receive the refund. dbrand is processing the refunds automatically to the original payment method, with refunds arriving by end of day.

How is this different from dbrand’s Darkplates for the PS5?

Darkplates were challenged by Sony but later allowed to return, because Sony had opened a customization path dbrand could use. The Switch OLED Zelda skins, which Nintendo shut down, never came back. The Companion Cube case now sits on the Zelda side of that line, since Valve has not opened any Portal licensing program for third-party cases.

Can third-party makers still customize the Steam Machine?

Yes, but only with original designs. Valve has released CAD files for the Steam Machine’s outer shell under a Creative Commons license, so third-party manufacturers can design custom faceplates without negotiating a separate license, as long as the designs do not borrow Valve-owned characters, settings, or assets.

Will dbrand release a replacement case?

Not one based on the Companion Cube. dbrand has not announced any alternative design for Steam Machine owners who were interested in the case, and the 44 sets of injection molding tools built for the original design cannot be repurposed for unlicensed Portal-themed products.