If you’ve just spent a lot of money being an early adopter for a lovely new Steam Machine – which starts at over $1000 – there’s a chance you will be wanting to give it a new interchangeable faceplate.
Last year, when the hardware was announced accessory manufacturer Dbrand confirmed their plans to release a Portal Companion Cube wrap for the Steam Machine. It was absolutely adorable:
Pre-orders for the hardware enclosure opened last week and it became Dbrand’s second-fastest selling item ever, behind their Switch 2 Killswitch. Sadly, pre-orders have now ceased as we now know Dbrand never had the license or permission from Valve – IP holder of Portal – to make the item. The item’s webpage has now been removed and re-routes to a statement on Reddit which states “we built the idea into something real without ever asking Valve if we could.” They go on to say, “We’re going to regret that decision for a very long time.”
It doesn’t sound to be an acrimonious outcome, Dbrand say that Valve’s legal team contacted them to remove the item as it was being developed without a licence: “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.” Before they close the post “To Valve: thank you for Portal, and sorry for the headache. We should’ve asked first.”
People who had pre-ordered the Companion Cube for their new hardware will have refunds processed immediately.
The Steam Machine currently sits as the global top seller on Steam, suggesting it’s had a solid launch. Though, Steam charts are calculated on revenue rather than volume of sales. Valve’s other Steam hardware, the Deck (my beloved) sits at number 8.
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