Indie developer Ryan Laley shared a tearful message on X after his and several other developers' laptops were stolen overnight from the Gamescom business suite on August 28. The incident has forced Laley to cut his attendance at the Cologne, Germany convention short.
Gamescom, billed as the world's largest gaming event, offers industry professionals a space to showcase their work. Laley, who was promoting his asymmetric multiplayer survival horror game Mimic, had a booth in the business area, which is advertised as having 24/7 security. However, on the morning of August 28, multiple developers discovered their equipment had been taken.
"All our laptops have been stolen," Laley stated in his post, visibly distressed. "Not just mine, others as well." He described the loss as a "huge blow financially and mentally," emphasizing the difficulty and expense of solo indie development. Laley indicated that the entire area appeared to have been raided.
The theft has been reported to Gamescom management and the police. Laley expressed doubt about the recovery of the stolen items and questioned the effectiveness of the promised security measures, noting that the area was supposed to have 24-hour security and limited nighttime access. "So no idea," he replied when asked about security and cameras.
Laley mentioned an "outpouring of love and support" from the community. When asked about setting up a crowdfunding campaign, he declined, instead requesting that people wishlist his game and share its page as sufficient support. Kotaku has reached out to Laley for further details and to Gamescom for comment regarding the incident and potential compensation for affected developers.