dbrand built a Companion Cube. dbrand sold a Companion Cube. dbrand never asked Valve if it was allowed to build or sell a Companion Cube. As of this week, the Steam Machine Companion Cube wrap is dead, every order has been refunded, and the whole saga is now a genuinely fascinating case study in how to lose a passion project to your own enthusiasm.
The short version, straight from dbrand's own statement: "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." Everything else is just the detail of how it got there.
How This Actually Started
Back on November 12th, 2025, the day Valve announced the Steam Machine, dbrand put up a concept render and a sign-up page just to gauge interest. It went moderately viral – over fifteen thousand people signed up to be notified within the first day. From there, instead of treating that as market research and reaching out to Valve, dbrand just kept building. "In the months that followed, we built the idea into something real without ever asking Valve if we could," the company admitted. "We're going to regret...
