gamescom has provided a second response regarding the theft of developer equipment during its event, offering an apology for its initial reaction to the ordeal. On August 28, 2026, indie developer Ryan Laley uploaded a video to X/Twitter claiming that all of his laptops had been stolen at gamescom. He was not the only one affected; Several other developers came forward with similar stories, saying that their equipment had also been stolen at the event. Gamescom responded to the ordeal on August 29, writing that while it was “very sad” about the situation, “I would like to report [attendees] “My #gamescom was disrupted. Our booth equipment was stolen last night. Police reports have been filed. No words to describe the feeling. Simply defeated. I’ll do the best I can with what’s left of the week. But a huge financial and mental blow pic.twitter.com/dKpp3Of6df— Mimic | Ryan Laley (@RyanLaley) August 28, 2026 “Individual booth security can be booked separately, and it is recommended to exhibitors who secure the equipment against theft. This is stated in the terms and conditions of participation and in the technical guidelines,” he said. “…However, in an event of this magnitude, there will always be individuals who will try to take advantage of the situation. Our security measures are designed to minimize such risks as effectively as possible.” This statement was not well received. A group of exhibitors, attendees, and online viewers felt that gamescom’s response blamed the victims of the theft, criticizing the event for its “unacceptable response.” Today, September 4, gamescom posted a follow-up statement on social media, apologizing for its initial post. It also announced plans to improve security in the future, promising to host a roundtable discussion with developers. who had independent booths at the event. You can read the full statement below:”Over the past few days, we have received a lot of criticism for the way we communicated about the theft of hardware belonging to several independent developers. That criticism is justified. Our first response was off-key and did not show affected people the empathy they deserved. We’re sorry. A theft like this is much more than a material loss. It can ruin an entire gamescom for the people it happens with, and it can destroy a work that took months or years to build, a work that, for a small studio, can be almost everything. “To all those affected: we understand what this has cost you, and we should have said this from the first moment. We have already begun to talk to those affected, about the theft, about its consequences, and, above all, to listen. We have also been moved by how this industry reacted. Within hours, people were offering help, unconditionally and without being asked. That says a lot about this community, and we are grateful for it. What it does not do is free us, as organizers, from our own responsibility to work together with our exhibitors and partners to create the best possible environment for everyone “That is why we are committed to reviewing and continuing to improve security together. Here’s what we’re doing: In addition to our regular post-event review and our evaluation of exhibitor feedback, we’ll be conducting a specific security review for independent exhibitors. In the coming weeks, we will invite the organizers of shared independent stands to a round table, so that we can develop concrete measures together. “We also urge all exhibitors who have experienced an incident to report it to us and to the police, even if it occurred some time ago. Only then can the incidents be documented, possible connections between them investigated and appropriate measures taken. You can contact us at sales@gamescom.de. gamescom is made by the industry, for the industry. It lives from the passion of the people who build “Our commitment has always been to continue improving gamescom, together with the community, not only when things are going well. That’s exactly what we’ll do here. Thanks to everyone who helps us.”pic.twitter.com/lOxBnmMplB— gamescom (@gamescom) September 4, 2026. sequels. Notably, CD Projekt Red, developer of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, reached out to Laley on social media and promised to “send him some stuff.” Don’t Scream developer Joe Henson, aka Indie Game Joe, also offered to help, transforming a tragic situation in a touching show of support and community effort. Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s news editor with ten years of experience reporting on gaming and entertainment, with experience in the fighting game community, influencer news, and online viral trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
