Each potential Steam Machine consumers and new house owners alike have simply been dealt an enormous blow: Valve has stepped in to cease Drband from producing its much-coveted Companion Dice case.
After creating the product off its personal again, with out initially in search of licensing approval, Dbrand has been denied retroactive licensing for the venture, forcing it to utterly pull the plug on what has been some of the celebrated potential add-ons to the Steam Machine.
The case was a plastic dice into which the Steam Machine might be fitted, giving the mini PC the look of the much-loved Weighted Companion Dice from Valve’s Portal video games. It is a easy, and in some methods apparent concept, however sensible nonetheless.
Nonetheless, with 1000’s of individuals having positioned orders for the dice, the corporate has been compelled to refund consumers and utterly down instruments on additional persevering with the venture. Taking to Reddit, the corporate posted an announcement explaining the state of affairs:
“As you’ve got in all probability observed, the Steam Machine Companion Dice was eviscerated from our web site, YouTube, and different social media platforms final week.
“The blunt model is that we made the Companion Dice and not using a license from Valve. Everybody who bought a Companion Dice can have their refund issued by end-of-day. The whole lot else past that is simply element. If you would like the total story, preserve studying.”
In that additional studying, Dbrand explains that it launched the Companion Dice venture on November 12, 2025, the day the Steam Machine was introduced, and that 15,000 folks signed as much as present curiosity within the dice (myself included). It then developed the product, taking on 1,000 hours and requiring the event of 44 injection moulds, finally launching it on June 22.
Nonetheless, regardless of it changing into “the second-fastest promoting product in our 15-year historical past, behind solely the Change 2 Killswitch” the story shortly took a detrimental flip. Valve’s authorized workforce reached out, forcing Dbrand to drag the plug on the venture. The corporate requested a retroactive licensing settlement, however Valve stated no.
Dbrand goes on to confess that the state of affairs is solely its personal fault, and that Valve should not be blamed, saying, “Valve did not do something mistaken right here. They constructed a recreation franchise lots of people love and so they alone get to determine the way it’s used.” Nonetheless, it is not clear why Valve did not attain out a lot earlier, as Dbrand was public about its intentions from the outset.
It is a decidedly unhappy flip of occasions for what appeared like such a constructive, enjoyable celebration of a beloved gaming character/entity/object. It is attainable Dbrand and Valve could possibly resolve the state of affairs, however the suggestion from Dbrand’s put up is that the ship actually has sailed. To cite Portal’s GLaDOS, “You euthanized your devoted Companion Dice extra shortly than any take a look at topic on file.”
