Gamescom provided a disheartening public response to indie devs' reports of stolen equipment

Theft has become a major problem at Gamescom 2026, with at least three indie studios speaking out about the equipment stolen from their event booths. The organization behind the event has acknowledged this matter in an underwhelming X post that did not indicate it would provide indie exhibitors with any compensation.

Reports of theft first emerged when Mimic solo developer Ryan Laley reported that their laptop and other equipment in the expo area near him were stolen. According to Ryan Laley's video explaining the ordeal, the hardware was snatched overnight from an area that is supposed to have restricted access overnight and be monitored by the security team at all times.

In the same raid, Tessera Studios, which was showcasing the game The Zibbo Show, lost personal computers, two laptops, and a Steam Deck, allcontaining game demos and confidential company information. Additionally, two computers were stolen from indie game publisher iam8bit Presents' booth, risking leaks of its games, Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2.

Ukiyo Studios then chimed in to recall that one of its laptops was taken from a Gamescom booth two years ago. It claims that when it tried to report the theft, event personnel attempted to stop Ukiyo so it wouldn't taint Gamescom and the city of Cologne's public image. Furthermore, Ukiyo says that despite attending dozens of events every year, Gamescom is the only one where it makes sure to lock up the equipment overnight due to inadequate security measures.

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