Dbrand has announced the cancellation of its popular Companion Cube-style accessory for the Steam Machine, citing a lack of licensing from Valve. The company will be refunding all preorders for the $100 accessory.
Dbrand, no stranger to controversy, shared that the decision to create the Companion Cube was made without seeking Valve's permission. The company first teased the concept render and a sign-up page for the accessory on the same day the Steam Machine was announced in November 2025. This generated significant interest, with over 15,000 sign-ups.
Despite investing over 1,000 hours in engineering and industrial design, including creating 44 sets of injection molding tools and multiple redesigns to ensure a precise fit, Dbrand acknowledged the fundamental error. "Unfortunately, being proud of the thing we made did not give us the right to make it," the company stated.
Preorders for the Companion Cube began on June 22. The accessory quickly became Dbrand's second-fastest selling product in its 15-year history, trailing only its Switch 2 accessory, the Killswitch. Shortly after preorders opened, Valve's legal team contacted Dbrand, asserting that the Companion Cube was Valve intellectual property for which the company did not hold a license. Valve requested the immediate removal of the product and its associated launch film.
Dbrand confirmed that Valve was "direct, fair, and respectful" throughout the process. The company appealed to Valve to allow the project to continue under a proper license, but their request was denied. "Given our backwards approach of building first and asking permission later, it was a fair answer," Dbrand stated, reflecting on the public lesson learned.
While Dbrand sent out some units to influencers, which may become collector's items, the situation highlights a clear market demand for Companion Cube-style accessories. It remains to be seen if Valve will consider licensing such products in the future or develop its own. The Steam Machine features a magnetic front plate that allows for the swapping of alternate designs, a design element Dbrand aimed to leverage. This incident follows previous controversies involving Dbrand, including a public dispute with Sony over PS5 skins and a cease-and-desist order from the company, as well as criticism regarding design flaws in their Killswitch Switch 2 case.