Gamescom 2026: indie dev's Mimic demo booth stripped overnight

Equipment was stolen from indie developer Ryan Laley’s Gamescom booth overnight, and he said hall security never showed up. Sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning, the horror indie developer’s demo booth was stripped completely.

Ryan Laley stated that overnight between August 27 and 28, his entire indie demo setup, including his laptop, was stolen from Booth A10 in Hall 4.1. This may have happened because, during Gamescom, exhibitors usually leave demo booths as is rather than packing them away.

Not the only developer affected at Gamescom

However, Laley wasn’t the only developer robbed of his equipment; he said several other indie devs and exhibitors also had their laptops and equipment stolen. The exact figure remains unknown, and Gamescom organizers haven’t made a public statement yet.

On Thursday, Ryan Laley was handing out Steam keys for his horror game Mimic from Booth A10 in Hall 4.1 at Gamescom’s Cologne show floor, and by Friday afternoon, the booth was empty. Not just the demo unit, but also the laptop that powered it, along with other equipment.

Gamescom 2026 runs from August 26 to August 30 at the Koelnmesse fairgrounds, and demo booths tend to stay open instead of shutting down over the course of five straight days. Security personnel, not exhibitors, handle overnight coverage of the venue.

Laley mentioned the raid on his Mimic booth on X on Friday morning, and his week at Gamescom was over before it even reached the halfway point. He stated:

“My Gamescom was cut short. Our equipment was stolen last night from the booth. Police reports have been filed. I’m at a loss for words to describe the feeling. Just defeated. Gonna do my best with what’s left of the week. But a huge blow financially and mentally.”

He also posted a video venting about his experience and stated: “Yeah, so effectively my Gamescom’s over early as all our laptops have been stolen. Yeah, so our booth got raided last night. Not just mine, others’ as well. All our laptops have been stolen.”

He continued, trying to maintain his composure:

“As a solo indie dev, this sh*ts expensive, and hard to do all by yourself. And to have this happen is beyond frustrating. It’s heartbreaking. We’ve reported it to center management, and that’s a guilty team, and we’ve reported it to the police. I don’t expect it, obviously, to be found. Just took the actual laptop itself, along with other people’s. So, it’s not just mine. The whole area has been raided. Effectively, Gamescom is over for me.”

Laley hasn’t lost all hope. He said he’ll keep working on the floor with what little he has and will see his indie endeavor, Mimic, through, since the game’s Steam page is still online.