Abstract:
During Gamescom this month, the equipment of many participating developers was stolen. Recently, the exhibition officially responded to the matter, but the response was not good. Koelnmesse said in a statement that these thefts "make us very sad", but at the same time it seemed to shirk direct responsibility for the thefts, saying that "it is clearly stated in the exhibition terms and technical specifications" that exhibitors can book "exclusive security services for their booths" and "insure the equipment against theft."
Yesterday, Ryan Riley, the developer of the independent game "Mimic", released an emotional video on the X platform, describing his experience of having his device stolen overnight at Gamescom 2026. Riley wrote in the accompanying text: "My trip to the Cologne exhibition ended early. All the equipment in our booth was stolen last night... I don't know how to describe this feeling, I just feel frustrated. I will try my best to hold on for the next exhibition trip."
Later on the same day, publisher and peripheral company iam8bit also revealed a similar experience: "When we went to the booth in the business district today, we found that two laptops were stolen overnight. The scene was clearly guarded by security personnel from Koelnmesse."
Afterwards, another developer, Tessera Studio, also stated on the X platform that its equipment also disappeared during the exhibition. "When we arrived at the booth in the independent games area on Wednesday, we found that the lockers had been pried open," Tessera Studio said. "Two laptops and a Steam Deck were missing. Not only did the devices contain our Cologne demo version, but also important personal and company confidential information."
The incident has turned into a public relations disaster for Cologne. Other studios, such as public relations company Ukiyo Studio, also said they had experienced equipment theft at previous Cologne exhibitions. To this end, the official X account of Gamescom issued a statement earlier today in response.
The Cologne exhibition statement read: "We are aware of the hardware theft incident, take it very seriously, and understand the dissatisfaction of the affected exhibitors. Due to the large number of relevant inquiries received, we would like to explain the general security regulations of the exhibition..."
The statement continued: "There are uniformed security personnel in the venue to provide overall security services. Exhibitors can reserve exclusive security for their booths individually, and we also recommend that exhibitors insure equipment against theft. These have been stated in the terms of participation and technical specifications... Security is the top priority of the exhibition, and we are very sad to see independent developers suffering losses as a result. However, in an exhibition of this scale, there will always be people who want to take advantage of the loopholes."
It is worth noting that even excluding these additional security costs, renting a booth at Cologne is by no means cheap. The official website of Koelnmesse provides a cost calculator for exhibitors to estimate booth costs.
For example, booking a 12-square-meter "standard booth" (the lowest option) costs at least about 2,100 euros, equivalent to $2,350—this does not include additional costs such as additional security. In addition to this, exhibitors are responsible for airfare and accommodation costs.
Imagine that an independent developer pooled thousands of dollars to come to Cologne to promote his game, only to have his game stolen. In the end, the organizer asked you to read the "Terms and Conditions of Participation," which would make anyone feel uncomfortable.
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