During this month's Gamescom, several participating developers had their equipment stolen. The event organizers recently issued an official response, which was poorly received. In their statement, Koelnmesse expressed that these thefts were "deeply saddening," but also appeared to shift direct responsibility for the incidents, stating that the "Exhibitor Terms and Conditions and Technical Regulations clearly specify" that exhibitors can book "dedicated booth security services" and should "purchase theft insurance for their equipment."
Yesterday, Ryan Riley, developer of the indie game Mimic, posted an emotional video on X detailing how his equipment was stolen overnight at Gamescom 2026. In his post, Riley wrote: "My Gamescom trip ended early. All the equipment at our booth was stolen last night... I don't know how to describe this feeling, other than to say it's incredibly frustrating. I'll do my best to push through the rest of the event schedule."
Later that same day, publisher and merchandise company iam8bit revealed a similar experience: "When we arrived at our booth in the Business Area today, we discovered that two laptops had been stolen overnight, despite the presence of Koelnmesse security personnel on site."
Later, another developer, Tessera Studios, also stated on X that their equipment had vanished during the event. "When we arrived at our booth in the Indie Area on Wednesday, we found that the lockers had been broken into," Tessera Studios said. "Two laptops and a Steam Deck were missing. The devices contained not only our Gamescom demo builds but also important confidential personal and company information."
This incident has turned into a public relations disaster for Gamescom. Other studios, such as the PR firm Ukiyo Studio, have also reported having their equipment stolen at previous editions of Gamescom. In response, the official Gamescom X account issued a statement earlier today.
Koelnmesse's statement read: "We are aware of the hardware theft incident and take it very seriously. We understand the frustration of the affected exhibitors. Due to the large number of inquiries we have received, we would like to clarify the general security regulations for the event..."
The statement continued: "Uniformed security personnel provide overall security services within the venue. Exhibitors can book dedicated security for their individual booths, and we also recommend that exhibitors purchase theft insurance for their equipment. These points are clearly outlined in the Exhibitor Terms and Conditions as well as the Technical Regulations... Security is a top priority for the event, and we are deeply saddened to see independent developers suffer losses as a result. However, at an event of this scale, there will always be individuals looking to exploit loopholes."
It is worth noting that renting a booth at Gamescom is by no means cheap, even without these additional security costs. The official Gamescom website provides a cost calculator for exhibitors to estimate booth expenses.
For example, booking a 12-square-meter "standard booth" (the most basic option) costs at least around €2,100, equivalent to $2,350—and that doesn't even include additional fees like extra security. On top of that, exhibitors must cover their own airfare and accommodation costs.
Imagine being an indie developer who scraped together thousands of dollars to promote your game at Gamescom, only to have your gear stolen, and then being told by the organizers to check the "Exhibitor Terms and Conditions." Anyone would feel upset in that situation.