Ryan Laley is the indie developer behind October’s Mimic, an impressive-looking asymmetric multiplayer survival horror. Attending this week’s Gamescom in Germany to promote his game, the British dev has posted to X to report the news that he and multiple other developers have had their laptops stolen from the convention’s business suite. In a tearful message, he explains the devastating loss and how “Gamescom is over for me.”

Gamescom is the world’s largest gaming event, combining the industry aspects of the former E3 with the public show floors of PAX, seeing over 350,000 people showing up each year to the Cologne, Germany convention. Opening Night Live gives it a high-profile start, before the show floors start heaving. For developers, especially indie devs, this can be an opportunity not only to get their games in front of the public, but also publishers and other developers. Ryan Laley was one such attendee, with a booth in the “Business” area of the show, which promises 24/7 security such that it’s a place where items can be left securely. Except it is being reported that on the morning of August 28, multiple developers entered to find that their equipment had been stolen overnight.

“All our laptops have been stolen,” says Laley in his post to X, trying to hold back tears. “Not just mine, others as well.”

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

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

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