At least three indie studios have reported thefts; one developer says through tears, “For me, the show is over.”
Atgamescom 2026there have apparently been several serious cases of hardware theft.
As early as Friday morning, developer Ryan Laley—who was planning to showcase his survival horror game Mimicat the event, that his laptops containing the game had been stolen:
My gamescom cut short. Our equipment was stolen last night from the booth.
Police reports have been filed.
I’m at a loss for words to describe how I feel. Just defeated. I’m going to do my best with what’s left of the week.
But it’s a huge blow, both financially and mentally pic.twitter.com/dKpp3Of6df
— Mimic | Ryan Laley (@RyanLaley) August 28, 2026
In his video about the incident, he explains that the hardware was stolen from an area that was supposed to be locked and monitored. Visibly shocked and in tears, Laley reports:
My gamescom is over now—it’s done. All our laptops were stolen. […] As an indie solo dev, this crap is really damn expensive, and it’s hard to handle everything on my own. It’s more than frustrating. It’s breaking my heart.
Property Damage, Leaks, and Fear
Ryan Laley isn’t the only victim of thefts like this. As the publisher iam8bit reports, laptops were also stolen, which were to be used to demonstrate games to the press and industry representatives.
“We arrived at our booth in the Business Area today and discovered that two of our laptops had been stolen overnight—despite the presence of Koelnmesse security guards,” the company stated.
The development team at Tessera Studios also had laptops and a Steam Deck stolen from a broken-into cabinetstolen.
In addition to leaks of their unfinished games, the victims of these thefts also fear that internal company information, passwords, and business details could fall into the wrong hands. And, of course, there is also property damage, which is difficult for small developers to compensate for.
Doubts About the Fair’s Security
The thefts raise questions about the security measures at Koelnmesse, the venue where gamescom takes place and which is responsible for overall security on the grounds—including admission checks and monitoring of entrances.
As early as 2025, an investigation by WDRrevealed serious shortcomings in the recruitment of security personnel for the world’s largest gaming trade show.
Regarding the recent incidents in 2026, the organization states that it takes reports of theft very seriously and understands the frustration of the exhibitors. According to the statement, all cases have been reported to the police and investigations are ongoing. At the same time, the organization points out that booth operators should hire additional security and insure their inventory.
We are aware of stolen hardware and take these reports very seriously; we understand the frustration of affected exhibitors.
Since we have received many inquiries, we would like to provide information about general security regulations at the event:
Uniformed guards provide general security across…— gamescom (@gamescom) August 29, 2026
Tom Warren, The Verge’s international correspondent, commented: “This response is complete nonsense.” His post received 4,000 likes.
The Industry Stands Together
Ryan Laley’s case sparked a wave of solidarity on social media. Many fans, gaming organizations, and other developers offered help and support after his video went viral.
Among others,CD Projekt Red spoke upand offered the indie developer replacement computers from its own inventory. The Cyberpunk account wrote: “We’ll check the hardware inventory in the Arasaka Archive and send you something over. No Choom should have to start from scratch.”
Industry consultant Indie Game Joe donated additional funds to compensate for the damage incurred. The developer who was robbed expressed his gratitude in a follow-up video for the encouragement and support. “Thank you for all the positive messages, the support, and the solidarity,” Laley wrote. “It means the world to me.”
