Remember last week when Dbrand announced a pretty neat Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine that got suddenly taken down? Well, it turns out that Dbrand missed a pretty crucial step before releasing it.
According to a press release made on the company’s subreddit, the company failed to obtain the licence to use the Companion Cube.
Dbrand states that following the Companion Cube’s release on Monday, June 22, Valve’s legal team reached out to the accessory company and requested the immediate takedown of the product and all related marketing materials, which Dbrand complied with.
Dbrand stated that it filed an appeal to Valve’s legal team to still keep the Companion Cube project alive, but Valve turned it down, and the Companion Cube won’t see the light of day again.
“It goes without saying, but we’ll say it regardless: Valve didn’t do anything wrong here,” Dbrand said in its press release. “They built a game franchise a lot of people love and they alone get to decide how it’s used.”
Dbrand also issued an apology to those who bought a Companion Cube, writing, “To everyone who was as excited about this project as we were: thank you, and sorry. Refunds are being issued today. If it hasn’t landed in your account by the end of this week, you know how to reach us.”
Now, this isn’t the first time that the Toronto-based company has gotten into legal trouble with a console manufacturer. Back in 2021, Dbrand manufactured black plates for the PS5, called ‘Darkplates.’ However, Sony threatened legal action against the accessory company and sent a cease-and-desist letter.
Despite this setback, the company still appears to be planning to release Steam Machine cases. A Typeform webpage shows some case ideas, including some colours and one that looks like an old monitor.
Image credit: Dbrand
Source: Dbrand via r/Dbrand
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