“We’re going to regret that decision”: Dbrand cancels its Companion Cube Steam Machine case after Valve demands it

Outspoken peripheral manufacturer Dbrand has cancelled its Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine, after Valve demanded it stop taking pre-orders.

The Canadian company posted a concept render of the case on the day Valve announced the Steam Machine, along with a sign-up page for people who wanted to register their interest in buying one.

According to Dbrand, more than 15,000 people signed for a notification on the first day, so it started working on the case without first seeking permission from Valve.

Pre-orders for the case went live last week but now, in a statement posted on the Dbrand Reddit page, the company says it’s had to pull the product after Valve made contact.

“In the months that followed [the render reveal], we built the idea into something real without ever asking Valve if we could,” it said. “We’re going to regret that decision for a very long time.”

Dbrand says the cube became the second-fastest selling product in its history when pre-orders started last week, but noted that “unfortunately, being proud of the thing we made did not give us the right to make it”.

“Shortly after, Valve’s legal team reached out. They stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property, for which dbrand does not have a license. They requested we take down the product and launch film immediately. This was entirely within their rights, and they were direct, fair, and respectful throughout.

“We took everything down and made an appeal. We asked Valve whether there was any way to keep the project alive: properly licensed, with their blessing, on their terms. They said no. Given our backwards approach of building first and asking permission later, it was a fair answer.

“That’s basically the whole story. We made something a lot of people were excited about, then incinerated our shot at bringing it to market. It’s a hard lesson to learn publicly.”

Dbrand has built a reputation over the years for being confrontational and defiant against companies like Nintendo and Sony, occasionally threatening their lawyers (and even, in the case of one set of Zelda Switch decals, literally swearing at Nintendo’s lawyers in the product itself).

In this instance, however, the company has not responded to Valve with its trademark attitude, and is instead regretful of its decision.

“It goes without saying, but we’ll say it regardless – Valve didn’t do anything wrong here,” it said. “They built a game franchise a lot of people love and they alone get to decide how it’s used.

“To everyone who was as excited about this project as we were: thank you, and sorry. Refunds are being issued today. If it hasn’t landed in your account by the end of this week, you know how to reach us. To Valve – thank you for Portal, and sorry for the headache. We should’ve asked first.”