Valve dropped that Steam Machine Companion Cube case down the legal incinerator after its makers neglected to get their permission

"We should’ve asked first"

Steam Machine banal whitethorn beryllium successful abbreviated supply, but hey, astatine slightest it hasn’t been taken disconnected merchantability and scoured from the Internet, ne'er to beryllium seen again. That’s conscionable the destiny of Dbrand’s unofficial Steam Machine Companion Cube case, a smartly made (if overpriced and benignant of pointless) Portal-themed accessory that it turns retired was so unofficial, Dbrand ne'er really had support from Valve to merchantability it. So, present they aren’t, and person issued refunds to anyone who ordered one.

"On November 12th 2025, the time the Steam Machine was announced, we enactment up a conception render and sign-up leafage to spot if anyone would beryllium funny successful a Companion Cube enclosure," a sorrowful reddit station explains. "It went moderately viral, with implicit 15 1000 radical signing up to beryllium notified successful the archetypal day. In the months that followed, we built the thought into thing existent without ever asking Valve if we could.

"We’re going to regret that determination for a precise agelong time."

The station claims "more than a 1000 hours" went into designing and engineering the case, which successful hindsight makes it adjacent alien not to person spent one-thousandth of that clip drafting a 'pretty please' email to Gabe Newell’s office. Regardless, Dbrand announced the Companion Cube connected June 22nd, a fewer hours earlier the Steam Machine’s ain pricing and motorboat details came out, and had capable clip to nonstop retired property samples and – allegedly – rack up capable income to marque it the company’s second-most fashionable merchandise launch. Soon, however, Valve’s ineligible squad came knocking.

"They stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intelligence property, for which Dbrand does not person a license," the station continues. "They requested we instrumentality down the merchandise and motorboat movie immediately. This was wholly wrong their rights, and they were direct, fair, and respectful throughout.

"We took everything down and made an appeal. We asked Valve whether determination was immoderate mode to support the task alive: decently licensed, with their blessing, connected their terms. They said no. Given our backwards attack of gathering archetypal and asking support later, it was a just answer.

"To Valve: convey you for Portal, and atrocious for the headache. We should’ve asked first."

I’ll stock successful a portion of humble pastry myself: I accepted a reappraisal portion connected the presumption that everything was supra board, partially due to the fact that Dbrand weren’t striking the combative code that they’ve adopted successful erstwhile lawyer-tussles and partially due to the fact that this happening was so self-smothering successful Portal iconography that determination was conscionable nary mode they didn’t person Valve onboard. Well, they didn’t, and the lone crushed I’m not the biggest mug successful this concern is due to the fact that I ne'er spent the equivalent of 42 days consecutive making it.