Dbrand has cancelled the Steam Machine Companion Cube.
They said this in a post on their official subreddit:
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.
They went on to explain that when Valve announced the Steam Machine, they asked around if fans would want them to make a Companion Cube enclosure for it, reminiscent of Portal.
Because of the positive feedback, Dbrand went ahead with prototyping and design, but did not ask Valve. Predictably, Valve struck them down with a legal notice.
Dbrand then admitted their backwards approach of making accessories without asking permission is what got them here. They previously earned notoriety for making PS5 Darkplates and a Switch OLED Clone of The Kingdom skin set, with no permission from either Sony or Nintendo.
Dbrand summed it up by saying this:
To Valve: thank you for Portal, and sorry for the headache. We should’ve asked first.
