Dbrand, a company that makes skins and cases for gaming devices, announced a special case shaped like the Companion Cube from the game Portal. Then it turned out the product was fake—a marketing stunt, not something you could actually buy. Engadget reported this story this month.

But here's the twist: the case was really well made. The Companion Cube is a blocky heart-decorated box from Portal, a puzzle game from 2007 that people still joke about decades later. Rock Paper Shotgun called it "big, expensive, and based on a 19-year-old joke" on 23 June 2026—but admitted the build quality was surprisingly good. The case was going to come with a special skin (a decorative wrap) for a game controller. Dbrand listed all this on its product page like it was no big deal.

Dbrand is known for making jokes in its marketing. The company loves creating limited-edition products tied to popular video game characters and series. What's different here is that Portal—the series this box is based on—hasn't had a new game since 2011. So the Companion Cube is basically a beloved relic from an old game that never got a sequel.

The "Steam Machine" part of the product name adds confusion. Valve (the company behind Portal) tried to make a special gaming PC for living rooms called the Steam Machine around 2015-2018. It didn't work. Then they released the Steam Deck in 2022, which is a handheld gaming device that succeeded where the Steam Machine failed. So it's not clear if Dbrand is joking about old hardware, new hardware, or both.

Dbrand sometimes plays tricks in how it reveals products. The "it was a lie" angle fits their style—they sometimes announce something in a misleading way, then reveal what's actually happening later. If that's what happened here, it makes sense: the Companion Cube is literally an object from a game about tricks and deception.

Where this gets more serious is the actual manufacturing. Most licensed gaming cases are cheap and poorly made—just logos slapped onto bad materials. This one was different: it was high quality even though it's based on a joke. Dbrand normally makes stick-on vinyl wraps. Making a full plastic case shaped like a Portal cube required different skills and equipment. Getting it right at that price point is harder than it sounds.

But practically speaking, nothing changed because of this product. No new games. No new hardware. No new plans from Valve. The controller skin is just decoration. The case is something to show off and talk about—if you could buy it.

What this quietly tells us is that Portal, a game from 2007, still matters to people. Valve's old games and characters have a kind of staying power that most video game companies wish they had. A company betting in 2026 that a puzzle-game mascot from 2007 can still get people interested is making a small bet on something much bigger: that Valve's creative work from the mid-2000s never really gets old.