Dbrand Cancels Valve Companion Cube Case, Issues Refunds

Accessory manufacturer Dbrand has canceled its highly anticipated Companion Cube case for Valve's Steam Machine and is issuing full refunds to all customers after Valve's legal team intervened, citing a lack of licensing for the copyrighted Portal design. The company announced the cancellation in a statement posted on Reddit on Monday, June 29, 2026.

The product, a hard-shell enclosure designed to make the new Steam Machine gaming PC resemble the iconic Weighted Companion Cube from Valve's Portal series, was launched for pre-order on June 22. Dbrand said it quickly became the second-fastest selling product in the company's 15-year history. However, the launch was short-lived. Shortly after sales began, Valve contacted Dbrand to state that the Companion Cube is Valve's intellectual property and that Dbrand did not have a license to produce or sell merchandise based on it. Valve requested the immediate removal of the product and all related marketing materials.

Dbrand complied, pulling the product from its website and social media channels. The company said it then attempted to negotiate a proper licensing agreement with Valve after the fact, but Valve declined the request. In its...