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Gamescom 2026 faces industry criticism over developer hardware theft as police investigate
The reported thefts affected developer booths in both Gamescom’s Indie Area and business area during the 2026 event.
Gamescom organisers are facing criticism from developers and games industry figures after multiple exhibitors reported laptops and other hardware stolen from their booths during Gamescom 2026. Police are investigating the incidents. IGN first reported on the incidents on 28 August, as accounts of stolen hardware from developers at the Cologne event began spreading online.
What was stolen at Gamescom 2026?
Tessera Studios, developer of The Zibbo Show, said that when its team arrived at its Indie Area booth on Wednesday, 26 August, it found a cabinet forced open. Two laptops and a Steam Deck had been taken.
“We were robbed at Gamescom,” the studio said. “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,” Tessera said. The studio later described the damage caused by the theft as “pretty huge.”
“As an indie, solo dev, this s**t’s expensive and hard to do all by yourself,” Laley said. “And to have this happen is beyond frustrating – it’s heartbreaking.”
Laley said police reports had been filed and the theft reported to the relevant security teams, although he did not expect the missing hardware to be found or returned. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” he said. “I can’t do my job.” He added that he would share updates if anything changed, but said that, effectively, Gamescom was over for him.
In comments provided to IGN after the theft, Laley clarified that an Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop had been taken. The incident cost him at least a full day of cancelled appointments and missed opportunities, and he described what happened as the kind of situation that can leave a solo developer feeling “isolated and vulnerable.”
Publisher iam8bit also reported on 28 August that two laptops had been stolen overnight from its station in the Gamescom business area, despite security being present. The machines were being used to demo Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2.
“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,” iam8bit said.
iam8bit said the theft also potentially put unfinished builds of Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2 at risk of being leaked, on top of disrupting its busy appointment schedule.
CD Projekt RED and developers rally around Ryan Laley after Gamescom theft
Support for Laley began pouring in after his video spread on 28 August. CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 account was among those that reached out. The studio said it could not “help right this second,” but promised to “send a few things” Laley’s way.
“No choom should have to start from zero,” CD Projekt RED said. Don’t Scream developer Joe Henson, also known as Indie Game Joe, donated the money needed to replace Laley’s stolen hardware.
“Thank you everyone so much for your support and love,” Laley said in a follow-up. He gave a “huge shout-out and thanks” to Henson, calling him “a champion for the little guys” and thanking him for his support for indie developers. The support also convinced Laley to stay at Gamescom despite no longer having a booth.
“Thank you for the support everyone. Long crazy day,” Laley wrote. He said he would still be around for the weekend, albeit “boothless,” and encouraged anyone who spotted him in his Mimic shirt to come and say hello.
Laley later said he had started the day “feeling sick” and “defeated,” and had wanted to “just go home and throw in the towel.” Instead, seeing developers and the wider gaming community rally around him “warmed my heart greatly.”
“Words can’t describe it,” Laley said. He explained that he had initially only shared what happened with his existing community, but the support that followed had been “unreal and unbelievable.” Laley, who mentors developers and trains people in Unreal Engine, added that he often tells aspiring developers how friendly and supportive the industry can be, and felt the response had proved that point. He also welcomed the attention the incident had brought to security concerns affecting other developers at Gamescom.
Police are investigating the Gamescom 2026 thefts
Gamescom responded to IGN’s request for comment on Saturday, 29 August, with a statement that was also published through the event’s official X account.
“We are aware of stolen hardware and take these reports very seriously and understand the frustration of affected exhibitors,” Gamescom said.
The organisers explained that uniformed guards provide general security across the venue, while individual stand security can be booked separately. Exhibitors are also advised to insure their equipment against theft under Gamescom’s terms and conditions of participation and technical guidelines. “All cases have been reported to us and to the police, and investigations are already underway,” Gamescom said.
The organisers described the reported thefts as individual cases and said security was one of the event’s highest priorities. “Because security has one of the highest priorities to us as an event and to see that indie developers are affected makes us very sad,” Gamescom said. “At an event of this size, however, there will always be individuals attempting to take advantage of the situation,” Gamescom said. “Our security measures are designed to minimise such risks as effectively as possible.”
Developers criticise Gamescom’s response to the thefts
Gamescom’s statement drew criticism from developers and other people working in the games industry, including Joe Henson, who had already stepped in to help replace Laley’s stolen equipment.
“Every time I re-read the Gamescom statement about the thefts, I get more upset,” Henson said. Henson said at least eight laptops and a Steam Deck had been stolen across three halls over two nights. He pointed out that two of the reported thefts took place in the business area, where he said exhibitors had been told there was 24/7 security, while Tessera Studios had reported finding its locked cabinet forced open.
He was particularly critical of Gamescom pointing exhibitors towards insurance and separately booked stand security in its response. “Not one line taking responsibility,” Henson said. “No ‘we’ll make this right’, nothing about how they’re helping the devs affected, nothing about meaningful changes to help prevent it happening again.”
Henson also highlighted what losing that kind of equipment can mean for smaller developers, saying a stolen machine could contain an entire game, years of work, and someone’s livelihood. “The community has been brilliant this week, but the community shouldn’t be the safety net,” he said. “That’s the venue’s job.”
Forbes writer Paul Tassi also contrasted Gamescom’s statement with CD Projekt RED’s response.
Tassi summarised Gamescom’s response as telling exhibitors they should have insured their equipment, acknowledging that security was present but that theft could happen anyway, and saying the organisers were sad about what happened. By comparison, he summed up CD Projekt RED’s response as: “Hey we are going to buy you all new stuff because we can.”
Insider Gaming owner Tom Henderson also questioned why Gamescom had not offered replacement equipment to those affected, pointing to the costs involved in exhibiting at the event.
“You’d think at 200 euro per square meter plus another 1-2000 in RENTAL equipment, they’d offer those affected new equipment, but nope…” Henderson said. He was also critical of the security he saw at Gamescom, calling it “a farce” and saying that most of the time he saw someone in a security uniform, “they were smoking at the exits.”
Police investigations into the reported 2026 thefts are still underway. As of 29 August, Laley had not received any specific update about his stolen laptop and had been told he was unlikely to hear from police for another six weeks.
This is not the first time hardware has reportedly been stolen at Gamescom. VGC reported that Ukiyo Studios said it had a PC stolen from its Gamescom booth two years earlier and claimed it had experienced theft at the event each year. Security at Gamescom also came under scrutiny in 2025, when WDR reported problems uncovered during inspections of security personnel.
AuthorAnna BernardoAnna “AnnaBers” Bernardo is a writer at GosuGamers and GosuEntertainment. She has been covering gaming, esports, and anime since 2021 and joined Gosu in 2024, where she tackles news, reviews, guides, esports matches, in-depth features, and more. A foodie and indie game enthusiast, Anna loves exploring hidden flavours and discovering lesser-known gems in both kitchens and virtual worlds.
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