Multiple game developers reported having equipment stolen from Gamescom 2026 booths or stations. Mimic developer Ryan Laley said on Friday that "all our laptops have been stolen," ending his team's event presence early. Amidst the wave of support his message sparked, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red reached out to hopefully help replace the lost hardware.
"We are very sorry this happened to you," a reply from the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account reads. "We hope you know you're not on your own with this. And while it won't help right this second, we'll check the Arasaka hardware archives and see if we can send a few things your way. No choom should have to start from zero."
"Wow thank you so much!" Laley replied.
The official account for Where Winds Meet, a wuxia action RPG from Everstone Studios and Netease Games, also offered support: "We're so sorry this happened to you. We hope you know you're not on your own. Wanderers are here to help. We'll stop by your booth tomorrow with what we can and do our part to help get you back in the game."
At least three teams have reported stolen Gamescom equipment this year. One impacted team, Ukiyo Studios, said on Sunday, "We had an Xbox controller, drinks and food stolen from our booth today. The drinks and food were stolen overnight, and the controller was taken around 18:50. This makes it 4 years straight of things being stolen. This is the cost of doing business in Gamescom."
In a post sharing Laley's video message, Ukiyo Studios added, "Two years ago we had a PC stolen from our Gamescom booth, and when we tried filing a police report, a person from Gamescom blocked us from doing so, saying 'it makes Gamescom and the city of Cologne look bad.'"
Gamescom organizers have now addressed the latest robberies. In an August 29 statement, the event's official account said, "We are aware of stolen hardware and take these reports very seriously and understand the frustration of affected exhibitors."
According to Gamescom itself, "uniformed guards provide general security across the venue. Individual stand security can be booked separately, and exhibitors are advised to insure equipment against theft."
Many people read this as passing the buck. This response quickly prompted a community note adding context. This note points out that "multiple exhibitors reported laptops stolen overnight from restricted business and indie area booths despite purported 24/7 general security."
Laley said "police reports have been filed," and Gamescom affirms "all cases have been reported to us and to the police, and investigations are already underway."
