Several people reported that their laptops containing important data were stolen, prompting Gamescom to respond.

On Friday morning, Ryan Laley, who was showcasing the asymmetrical online survival horror game Mimic, posted a video on Twitter explaining that his laptops containing the game had been stolen overnight. He said, “Effectively, my Gamescom is over early because all our laptops were stolen. Our booth was raided last night — not just mine, but others as well. All of our laptops were stolen. As an indie solo developer, this is expensive and difficult to do alone. Having this happen is beyond frustrating; it’s heartbreaking. So, yeah. We’ve reported it to central management and their security team. They’ve reported it to the police. I don’t expect the laptops to be found or returned. They left the chargers; it’s just the laptops themselves, along with others’. It’s not just mine; the whole area has been raided. I don’t know what I’m going to do now because I can’t do my job without it. We’ll post updates if I receive any, but effectively, Gamescom is over for me,” Laley said.

He then confirmed that he had been in the same area as the iam8bit booth, specifically in Hall 4.1 in the business area. Later that day, iam8bit, the publisher that also organizes the Summer Game Fest Play Days event, posted a message on its Twitter account stating that the laptops used to showcase games to press and industry participants had also been stolen.

Today at gamescom we arrived to our station in the business area hall to discover that our two laptops had been stolen over night, despite the presence of Koelnmesse security.

These were machines we were using to demo iam8bit Presents titles Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2 to…

— iam8bit @ gamescom hall 5.2 stand C051 (@iam8bit) August 28, 2026

“Today at Gamescom, we arrived at our station in the Business Area Hall to find that our two laptops had been stolen overnight despite the presence of Koelnmesse security. We were using these machines to demo iam8bit Presents titles Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2 to media and content creators during the show. This theft has not only disrupted our busy appointment schedule but also put unfinished builds of these games at risk of being leaked. This is hugely disappointing for us and our development teams at Nano Park Studios and Coin Crew Games, who worked tirelessly to prepare for this show. We ask that anyone who may have information about what happened please reach out to us,” wrote iam8bit.

Both Laley’s and iam8bit’s booths were located to the right of the hall’s entrance, next to the west entrance of Koelnmesse. This suggests that someone may have entered Hall 4.1 through the west entrance and stolen the equipment from the first area they came across. However, other reports have surfaced regarding thefts in other parts of the Koelnmesse grounds. Tessera Studios, the developer of The Zibbo Show, announced on Twitter that they were also robbed earlier this week at Gamescom at their Indie Area booth in Hall 10.2. They wrote, “On Wednesday, we arrived at our booth in the Indie Area to find our cabinet forced open. Two laptops and a Steam Deck were gone. The devices contained not only our Gamescom demo, but also personal, company, and critical information.” In response to its followers, Tessera stated that it had heard of at least two similar incidents at the Games from Spain booth and more throughout the exhibition area.

Some are questioning the effectiveness of Gamescom’s security measures due to the thefts. As the world’s largest video game event, with approximately 357,000 visitors and 1,568 exhibitors from all over the world last year, it attracts a large number of people who showcase their upcoming games in separate public and business areas. Many independent studios bring their own equipment, especially in the business and indie areas where the reported thefts occurred, in the hope that it will be properly secured overnight. In response to Laley’s tweet, Ukiyo Studios, a game marketing agency operating in Australia and Japan, made the following statement:

Two years ago we had a PC stolen from our Gamescom booth, and when we tried filing a police report, a person from Gamescom blocked us from doing so, saying “it makes Gamescom and the city of Cologne look bad.”

Glad that Ryan is able to do so and hope justice is served. https://t.co/jVxagjbg7H

— Ukiyo Studios 🔜Gamescom 10.1 F063/ PAX WEST/ TGS/ (@ukiyostudiosau) August 28, 2026

“Two years ago, someone stole a PC from our Gamescom booth. When we tried to file a police report, someone from Gamescom blocked us, saying, ‘It makes Gamescom and the city of Cologne look bad.’ We’ve had something stolen at Gamescom each year. We’ve always chalked it up to the ‘cost of doing a show in Germany.’ Now that others are reporting their thefts, hopefully Gamescom will do a better job with security, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Last year, the German news channel WDR reported on claims by the Verdi union that Gamescom had not adequately supervised its security staff. During Gamescom 2025, customs officials conducted a large-scale inspection and found that many of the men and women employed as security guards were unable to produce official identification cards or security ID numbers. Gamescom posted a statement on Twitter regarding the thefts, stating that they are aware of the stolen hardware and understand the frustration of the affected exhibitors.

We are aware of stolen hardware and take these reports very seriously and understand the frustration of affected exhibitors.

Since many requests reached us, we would like to inform about general security regulations at the event:
Uniformed guards provide general security across…

— gamescom (@gamescom) August 29, 2026

“Since we have received many requests, we would like to inform you about the general security regulations at the event. Uniformed guards will provide security throughout the venue. Exhibitors can book individual stand security separately and are advised to insure their equipment against theft. This information is included in the terms and conditions of participation and the technical guidelines. All cases have been reported to us and to the police, and investigations are underway. We also want to ensure that the reported cases are isolated incidents, and we are very sorry to hear about them. Security is one of our highest priorities as an event, and we are saddened that indie developers have been affected. However, at an event of this size, there will always be individuals attempting to take advantage of the situation. Our security measures are designed to minimize such risks as effectively as possible,” wrote Gamescom.

This casts the event in a negative light.

Source: VGC,WDR

My #gamescom cut short. Our equipment was stolen last night from the booth.

Police reports have been filed.

At a loss for words to describe the feeling. Just defeated. Gonna do my best with what's left of the week.

But a huge blow financially and mentally pic.twitter.com/dKpp3Of6df

— Mimic | Ryan Laley (@RyanLaley) August 28, 2026

We were robbed at Gamescom.

On Wednesday, we arrived at our booth in the Indie Area to find our cabinet forced open. Two laptops and a Steam Deck were gone.

The devices contained not only our Gamescom demo, but also personal, company, and critical information.

Here’s our story pic.twitter.com/ZghaSx9RJB

— The Zibbo Show ➡️ Wishlist on Steam 💥 (@tesserastudios) August 28, 2026