It was supposed to be the premiere gaming event of the year for major and minor developers alike—a chance to showcase their hard work and unveil new projects to eager players in a safe and high-trust environment.
However, that chance was woefully snatched away from some Gamescom attendees when overnight thefts in the supposedly secure event hall in Cologne. Multiple developers reported on social media that their booths had been ransacked by unknown assailants, snatching valuable hardware and builds of unreleased software.
The thefts have brought into question the competency of Koelnmesse’s event security, as the thefts occurred in restricted-access areas allegedly monitored around the clock. Criticism has been swift and abject as multiple developers shared their nightmare experiences from the convention.
The First Domino: Ryan Laley’s Mimic Booth Robbed
The first report came from solo developer Ryan Laley, who posted a video on X telling fans that upon returning to his booth on day 2 of the gaming expo, he found his Alienware and Razer demo laptops had been stolen. He had been using the hardware to preview his upcoming horror title Mimic to the gaming public, but announced that without the devices, his Gamescom run had...
