Existing Unauthorized Steam Machine Companion Cubes Are Being Destroyed After Release Fiasco
Dbrand, known for its provocative approach to unlicensed products, released an external shell accessory for the Steam Machine designed to look like the Companion Cube from Valve’s Portal series. The product quickly drew legal attention from Valve, which sent cease-and-desist notices, leading Dbrand to cancel the product entirely and refund all preorders.
However, the cancellation doesn’t tell the complete story. A small number of prototype units were distributed to journalists, influencers, and content creators before the legal action took place. Rather than letting these samples become collectors’ items or historical artifacts, Dbrand has reportedly requested all existing units be returned for destruction—a fate thematically fitting for Portal’s iconic companion cubes, which are destroyed in both Portal games.
Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz acknowledged the company’s miscalculation in a statement to The Verge, saying simply: “There is no further plan. We fucked this one up.”
This incident reflects a pattern in Dbrand’s business strategy: pushing legal boundaries with unlicensed merchandise. The company has previously created unauthorized products based on Nintendo and Sony IP, each time facing threats of legal action. In this case, however, Valve’s response proved decisive enough to force a complete retreat, including the destruction of existing inventory.
The destruction of these Companion Cube shells marks a notable instance of a company choosing to eliminate evidence of a failed product rather than preserve it. For collectors and enthusiasts, the fate of these pre-release samples represents a lost piece of gaming hardware history.