That’s basically the whole story.

(X) Doubt

I have a hard time believing this wasn't intentional. I don't think I understand what the end goal was supposed to be, but in no way do I accept that this wasn't 100% the expected ending to this project. dBrand aren't a new or inexperienced company, and this isn't their first time making licensed products. They literally know how to do this better than most others in their field. There is zero chance that they went this far into development without ever clearing it with Valve. Or if they did, then they had to have done it knowing Valve was going to shut it down, because I can guarantee you that there isn't a single person in dBrand's leadership who couldn't have predicted this outcome.

It makes me wonder if dBrand is being honest about how much time and resources were lost on this project. Because that's sounding like a very large loss to claim for a mistake this company is too experienced to be making in the first place.