Dice was a lie
Dbrand has cancelled its Steam Machine Companion Dice enclosure and is refunding all orders. The corporate confirmed that the Portal-themed accent was made with out permission from Valve.
The product was faraway from dbrand’s web site, YouTube and social media channels final week. In a public assertion, Dbrand stated the rationale was easy: it didn’t have a license to make use of Valve’s Companion Dice mental property.
dbrand constructed the undertaking earlier than asking Valve
Based on Dbrand, the undertaking began on November 12, 2025, the day Valve introduced the brand new Steam Machine. The corporate posted an idea render and a sign-up web page to measure curiosity. Greater than 15,000 folks reportedly signed up on the primary day.
Supply: Dbrand
The corporate later turned the idea into an actual product. Dbrand says the undertaking required greater than 1,000 hours of engineering work and 44 units of injection molding instruments. The enclosure was designed to carry Valve’s Steam Machine and was offered in two variations, together with the $99 “Poverty Dice”.
Valve authorized workforce requested takedown
Dbrand says the Companion Dice launched at round 3 AM on Monday, June 22. It turned the corporate’s second-fastest promoting product in 15 years, behind solely the Change 2 Killswitch.
Shortly after launch, Valve’s authorized workforce contacted Dbrand. Based on Dbrand, Valve acknowledged that the Companion Dice is Valve mental property and requested that the product and launch video be taken down. Dbrand says Valve was “direct, truthful, and respectful” in the course of the course of.
The corporate then requested Valve if the product might proceed as an formally licensed accent. Valve declined. Dbrand says this was a good reply as a result of the corporate constructed the product first and requested for permission later.
All Companion Dice patrons are being refunded. Dbrand says refunds are being issued as we speak and may attain clients by the top of the week. The corporate additionally stated Valve “didn’t do something flawed” and apologized for the difficulty.
RIP Companion Dice
As you’ve 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 with no license from Valve. Everybody who bought a Companion Dice could have their refund issued by end-of-day. The whole lot else past that is simply element. If you’d like the complete story, maintain studying.
On November twelfth 2025, the day the Steam Machine was introduced, we put up an idea render and sign-up web page to see if anybody could be keen on a Companion Dice enclosure. It went reasonably viral, with over fifteen thousand folks signing as much as be notified within the first day. Within the months that adopted, we constructed the thought into one thing actual with out ever asking Valve if we might.
We’re going to remorse that call for a really very long time.
Over the subsequent seven months, we poured our souls into this undertaking. Greater than a thousand hours went into engineering from our industrial design workforce. Forty-four units of injection molding instruments have been developed, one for every of the dice’s sub-components. The whole product was redesigned from scratch greater than as soon as, simply to get the way in which it cradles the console precisely proper. We actually rented out a college campus to movie the launch video. By the top, we have been dropping cash on each $99 Poverty Dice offered, but it surely didn’t matter. This had was a ardour undertaking for the complete group.
Sadly, being pleased with the factor we made didn’t give us the precise to make it.
We launched round 3am on Monday, June twenty second. In a single day, it turned the second-fastest promoting product in our 15-year historical past, behind solely the Change 2 Killswitch.
Shortly after, Valve’s authorized workforce reached out. They acknowledged that the Companion Dice is Valve mental property, for which dbrand doesn’t have a license. They requested we take down the product and launch movie instantly. This was totally inside their rights, they usually have been direct, truthful, and respectful all through.
We took every part down and made an enchantment. We requested Valve whether or not there was any option to maintain the undertaking alive: correctly licensed, with their blessing, on their phrases. They stated no. Given our backwards strategy of constructing first and asking permission later, it was a good reply.
That’s mainly the entire story. We made one thing lots of people have been enthusiastic about, then incinerated our shot at bringing it to market. It’s a tough lesson to study publicly.
It goes with out saying, however we’ll say it regardless: Valve didn’t do something flawed right here. They constructed a sport franchise lots of people love they usually alone get to determine the way it’s used.
To everybody who was as enthusiastic about this undertaking as we have been: thanks, and sorry. Refunds are being issued as we speak. If it hasn’t landed in your account by the top of this week, you understand how to succeed in us.
To Valve: thanks for Portal, and sorry for the headache. We must always’ve requested first.
Supply: Reddit
