Laptops Stolen Overnight From Gamescom Business Hall, Multiple Indie Devs Hit

At least seven or eight laptops were stolen overnight from the business suite at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, with indie developer Ryan Laley — the solo dev behind upcoming asymmetric horror game Mimic — among those affected. Laley posted a tearful video to X on August 28 describing the loss as "beyond frustrating" and "heartbreaking," saying the incident left him feeling like "Gamescom is over for me."

The business hall is supposed to offer 24/7 security with restricted overnight access, but Laley says the entire area was raided and he has no idea how it happened. The incident has been reported to both Gamescom management and the police, though Laley holds little hope of recovering the equipment. Publisher and merch company iam8bit confirmed it was also hit — two of its stolen laptops contained unfinished builds of Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2, developed by Nano Park Studios and Coin Crew Games respectively. iam8bit called it "hugely disappointing" for the teams who worked hard to prepare for the show. Kotaku has reached out to Gamescom for comment on how the theft was possible and whether the event carries insurance to cover attendees' losses.

Gamescom is the world's largest gaming convention, drawing over 350,000 visitors annually to Cologne. For indie developers in particular, the business hall is a rare chance to get in front of publishers and industry contacts — making the loss of demo hardware and unreleased builds especially damaging. The show's business area explicitly promises secure overnight storage, which makes the breach all the more alarming for anyone who trusted that guarantee.

Despite the rough start, Laley says the community response has been overwhelming. Developers from studios including Playtonic reached out, and CD Projekt's official Cyberpunk 2077 account sent support — something Laley described as "a rollercoaster of emotions." He said he felt sick in the morning, had a cry, then rallied himself thanks to the outpouring of messages. Kotaku will update the story if Gamescom responds.