Gamescom has apologized for its initial response to the hardware thefts that affected several indie developers during this year’s event, admitting that its first statement “did not strike the right tone.” Organizers said the criticism was justified and that they failed to show enough empathy toward developers who lost laptops, Steam Decks, unfinished game builds, and other equipment.
The apology follows an earlier statement that pointed exhibitors to optional private booth security and advised them to insure equipment against theft. Gamescom also called the reported incidents individual cases and said an event of its size would always attract people looking to take advantage of the situation, drawing immediate criticism for appearing to shift responsibility toward the developers who had been robbed.
— gamescom (@gamescom) September 4, 2026
As a reminder, several exhibitors reported equipment disappearing from restricted or supposedly secured areas. Mimic developer Ryan Laley lost his laptops from the business area overnight, iam8bit had two laptops containing unfinished builds of Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2 stolen, and Tessera Studios found a locked cabinet forced open with two laptops and a Steam Deck taken from inside.
Gamescom now says it has begun speaking directly with affected developers and will conduct a dedicated review of security for indie exhibitors alongside its normal post-event assessment. Organizers also plan to invite companies running shared indie booths to a roundtable where additional security measures can be discussed before future events.
The new statement also acknowledges that stolen hardware can mean far more than its replacement cost for a small developer, particularly when machines contain months or years of work. Gamescom thanked other studios that offered help after the thefts but said that support does not remove the organizers’ responsibility to improve security.
Responses to the apology have remained critical, however, with commenters questioning why it took almost a week and another wave of backlash for gamescom to acknowledge problems with its first statement.
Others argued that the organizers still have not addressed compensation for affected developers or accepted enough responsibility for how thieves gained access to equipment in the first place. Some have also accused gamescom of apologizing only after public pressure made the original response untenable, while others called the follow-up too late or another corporate response without enough concrete action behind it.
Whether any of this results in different security at gamescom 2027 will not be clear until the organizers publish their findings or explain what measures will actually be implemented.
