Images via developers mentioned in this article
Update: Since this article was written, Gamescom’s organisers have responded to the situation with a second statement. We have included this where it fits with the story deeper in the article.
I wasn’t aware of Gamescom until I’d already grown up and started writing about video games. For me, it was always E3 that seemed like the biggest and best event on the gaming calendar, but with that gone, Gamescom has taken the mantle in terms of both excitement and public accessibility.
The event has always been home to incredible announcements, live demos, and so much news that it takes weeks to sift through it all. While none of this has changed in 2026, this year’s event has been, rather unfortunately, plagued by disgusting behaviour that’s set several indie developers back thousands of pounds.
Several Developers Have Property Stolen From Their Booths At Gamescom 2026
Yes, it’s sadly true that at one of the biggest gaming events in the world, thieves targeted not just game developers, but indie game developers, when looking for tech to steal. The technology stolen includes laptops and Steam Decks, but it’s the files on those devices that matter. They were live builds of games, and even though there could be backups, this kind of crime will set the developers back thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours.
I was away on holiday and only caught glimpses of this news as it broke, but having looked into the details, I’m gobsmacked that this could happen and outraged for the developers involved. That’s why we’re sharing the developers and their games below. Here, I’ll give you a brief overview of each developer’s game and why you might want to dive in. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be diving into these games a little more and bringing you deeper analyses of our time with them or chats with their developers, all of which we’ll link in once we’ve published those articles. For now, though, I encourage you to check each and every game mentioned below out.
The Zibbo Show – Tessera Studios
Tessera Studios is the first developer I saw get caught up in this situation. It had laptops, a Steam Deck, and controllers stolen from its booth, which was broken open at some point between setting it up and the following day. It was at the event to show off The Zibbo Show, an intense, dice-based title about competing against opponents of increasing difficulty. It has a distinctly low-fi look to it that I’m obsessed with.
Mimic – Ryan Laley Games
Ryan Laley had his laptop stolen from his booth, as did so many developers in this article. Thankfully, a lot of people reached out to him to provide support and assistance where possible. What would help him out even more is checking out and maybe even wishlisting his upcoming game, Mimic.
The title is an asymmetrical horror title for up to 10 people, but it’s got enough of a twist that I think it’s got legs to see it go the distance. The team of humans must solve objectives while a killer android attempts to hunt them all down. To top things off, there’s an alien creature that can transform into those it kills that’s also trying to hunt anyone vaguely normal down. If that sounds good, give it a look!
Order 13 – Bowl of Tentacles
I’m including Bowl of Tentacles because the developer’s Creative Director, George Gutierrez, had a truly terrible time. Bless him – his backpack, with a laptop and other items inside, was stolen. He knows the area and pursued those who had stolen it, only to get stabbed in the hand and jumped by more people for his backpack. He’s being a good sport about it, saying he’ll be back next year, but it’s a sad time when we have to report on this kind of thing happening around a gaming event.
So, to that end, you should definitely check out the developer’s upcoming game Order 13. It had this available to play at the show, and it really does look pretty great. It’s a sort of simulator game in which you play as a warehouse fulfilment worker grabbing items from a dark, potentially spooky warehouse. Doesn’t sound scary, right?
iam8bit – Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2
I couldn’t believe it when I read that iam8bit was hit by thieves as well. Two laptops were taken from the company’s booth, both of which were being used to showcase Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2 to creators and press. While yes, this impacted schedules and meant some people didn’t get to see or play the game, there’s something worse that could come out of the theft. Unfinished builds of each game were on these laptops, both of which could now be leaked well ahead of their official release dates.
While we can’t do much to help with the thefts, it is within your power to check both of these games out. Petal Runner, from developer Nano Park Studios, is a solarpunk open-world RPG with gorgeous pixel graphics. In it, you play as a kid and cat duo, Cali and Kira, as they ride across the beautiful Sapphire Valley City as Petal Runners. It’s a coming-of-age story straight out of the Game Boy Color and features a massive world to explore and get lost in. This one has a demo out, so you can give it a try before you add it to your wishlist.
Escape Academy 2: Back to School follows up an already brilliant solo or co-op escape-room style puzzle title with more challenges, danger, and potential for hilarious disasters. You attend Escape Academy, and there’s something rotten going on behind the scenes. The entire school is one big puzzle room, and it’s your task, should you accept it, to solve puzzles and unravel the mysteries while also escaping any life-threatening situations that (regularly) crop up. This title also has a demo out right now, so give it a go and see what you think.
We at Bonus Action must remain objective in our reporting. We all have feelings on what has happened and how it’s been handled. The best overview of the gaming media’s opinion on the matter that I can find is from the brilliant Indie Game Joe. You can read his response here. It’s also worth noting that this, allegedly, isn’t the first time equipment has been stolen at Gamescom. Ukiyo Studios shared that it had a PC stolen in 2024, but was allegedly blocked from filing a police report by the event’s organisers. Needless to say, this article only covers those developers that made it known they were affected, but we’ll endeavour to add others as we become aware of them.
Following the organisation’s initial statement, Gamescom’s organisers put out a second addressing these thefts. Unlike the first, it acknowledges that the blame for these incidents ultimately lies at their feet, and that the team will be assessing how it can improve security for 2027.
It also asks exhibitors affected this year, and in previous years, by thefts to reach out. This is a good start, though, feels slightly forced, considering the indie game community already immediately reached out with all sorts of support. I’ll be very real with you for a moment; I worked in events insurance in a previous life, and the option to cover your exhibitors is simply a tick box you choose to accept or decline when taking the product out. It’s an expensive tick box, but on the scale of Gamescom, especially for indie developers, it feels like a necessary cost the event has no choice but to absorb.
The most hurtful aspect of all these incidents is that they weren’t against big AAA publishers that can afford tanks in booths or to replace all manner of equipment; they were against independent developers. These people put everything they have on the line to make a game, and when their property is stolen, there’s no backup funds in the bank to cover it. Crimes like this only serve to set indies further back and make the bar they must leap over to make a splash in the increasingly saturated games market even higher. Shame on those who committed these crimes.
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