Theft has turn into a serious downside at Gamescom 2026, with at the very least three indie studios talking out concerning the gear stolen from their occasion cubicles. The group behind the occasion has acknowledged this matter in an underwhelming X post that didn’t point out it could present indie exhibitors with any compensation.
Stories of theft first emerged when Mimic solo developer Ryan Laley reported that their laptop computer and different gear within the expo space close to him had been stolen. According to Ryan Laley’s video explaining the ordeal, the {hardware} was snatched in a single day from an space that’s imagined to have restricted entry in a single day and be monitored by the safety group always.
In the identical raid, Tessera Studios, which was showcasing the sport The Zibbo Present, misplaced private computer systems, two laptops, and a Steam Deck, allcontaining recreation demos and confidential firm data. Moreover, two computer systems had been stolen from indie game publisher iam8bit Presents’ booth, risking leaks of its video games, Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2.
Ukiyo Studios then chimed in to recall that one in every of its laptops was taken from a Gamescom sales space two years in the past. It claims that when it tried to report the theft, occasion personnel tried to cease Ukiyo so it would not taint Gamescom and town of Cologne’s public picture. Moreover, Ukiyo says that regardless of attending dozens of occasions yearly, Gamescom is the one one the place it makes certain to lock up the gear in a single day on account of insufficient safety measures.
Within the remark part of those posts, it is clear that the gaming group will be tight-knit and supply a serving to hand. IndieGameJoe donated cash so Mimic’s developer might replace the stolen equipment. Sadly, the official Gamescom account did little more than specific how comfortable it was that the devs had been getting the help they wanted and that it had reported the problem to the authorities.
Gamescom’s responses to those repeated claims of theft are disappointing. Mentioning that particular person sales space safety will be booked prematurely and that exhibitors ought to insure all of their gear looks as if a approach for Gamescom to keep away from taking duty for the occasion’s weak safety.
Despite the fact that a few of the gear has been changed, many builders who spent cash to current their work at Gamescom now have to trace down or substitute stolen gear and can worry that the pre-release builds of their recreation current on the stolen {hardware} could leak. Hopefully, Gamescom will enhance its safety groups sooner or later to forestall this from taking place once more, however its assertion on the matter did not do sufficient to encourage confidence.