Valve Shuts Down Dbrand's Steam Machine Companion Cube Case After an IP Dispute

One of the more unusual stories surrounding the Steam Machine this week involves Valve and Dbrand after a custom Companion Cube-themed case was pulled before it could properly launch. The idea itself was easy to appreciate. Dbrand designed a case inspired by Portal's iconic Companion Cube that fits around the Steam Machine while still allowing enough airflow for the system.

It gave the hardware a playful new look without completely covering it up, making it feel like a real-world version of one of Valve's most recognizable creations. That project, however, didn't make it very far once Valve became aware of it.

Dbrand published a statement explaining exactly what happened.

According to the company, the "blunt version" is that it created the Companion Cube without obtaining a license from Valve. As a result, everyone who placed an order for the product would receive a full refund.

The company also shared just how much work had gone into the accessory before everything came to a stop. Dbrand said the project took seven months to develop, with its industrial design team spending more than a thousand hours engineering the case. 

It also created 44 separate injection molding tools, with each one designed for an individual component of the cube.

After pre-orders began, Valve's legal team contacted Dbrand and informed the company that the Companion Cube is Valve's intellectual property and that Dbrand did not have permission to use it.

Valve requested that both the product listing and its launch video be removed immediately. Dbrand acknowledged that the request was completely within Valve's rights and described the legal team's approach as direct, fair, and respectful throughout the process.

The odd thing was that they'd already sunk so much time and money into the project before the licensing issue came up.

Seven months of development and more than a thousand hours of engineering had already been invested, yet the product reached the pre-order stage without a license in place. That makes the outcome feel especially unusual given how closely the design was tied to one of Valve's most recognizable properties.

It's also easy to understand why Valve chose to step in. At first glance, the Companion Cube case looked official enough that you could easily assume it was a Valve product. Such confusion could cause problems if customers have problems with the accessory while using it on their Steam Machine.

Many owners would probably go to Dbrand for support, but to Valve through its customer support channels, assuming the company was responsible for the product. That said, Valve’s decision to protect its IP and pull sales of the unlicensed accessory makes perfect sense, even if it cut short an ambitious fan-inspired project before it could even get off the ground.