During this year's Gamescom, several exhibitors reported that their booths had been ransacked overnight. Mimic developer Ryan Laley posted a tearful message after his laptops were stolen at the event. The gaming industry responded with support, including Witcher 4 developer CD Projekt RED, which offered to replace the stolen property.
Gamescom's organizers initially responded by saying it was the responsibility of exhibitors to protect their own equipment, regardless of event security. That statement, published on August 29, was met with significant backlash from those in the industry who felt it placed blame on exhibitors who hadn't insured their equipment.
On September 4, six days after the initial statement, Gamescom posted a new statement on X acknowledging that the criticism was justified. "Our first response did not strike the right tone, and it did not show the people affected the empathy they deserved. We are sorry," the statement said. Gamescom said it had begun talking with affected exhibitors to listen and understand the cost of the thefts.
The organizers said they were "moved by" and "grateful for" the industry's supportive response to the thefts, but stated that this support does not relieve them of their own responsibility as organizers. Gamescom committed to a dedicated review of security for indie exhibitors and said it would host a roundtable with indie booth organizers to "develop concrete measures together" ahead of next year's event. It also urged any additional exhibitors who experienced thefts to report the incidents to both event organizers and police.
The new statement did not address the possibility of compensation for exhibitors whose equipment was stolen. PC Gamer said it contacted Gamescom organizer Koelnmesse GmbH asking how many theft incidents had been reported, whether compensation had been discussed or offered, and what vetting or oversight applies to Gamescom's security staff, but received no response beyond a referral to the two published statements.