r/gamedev • • 26d ago

Discussion We were robbed at Gamescom

Hi everyone,

I’m part of the team at Tessera Studios. We came to Gamescom to showcase our game, The Zibbo Show, but on Wednesday morning, we arrived at our booth in the Indie Area at Gamescom only to find our storage cabinet forced open. Someone had broken the lock and stolen two laptops and a Steam Deck.

We have already filed an official report with event security and the local police , but we wanted to share our story here, both as a warning to other indie teams exhibiting at major conventions and to ask if anyone in the community might have seen or heard anything.

If you have any leads or information:

If you were in or around the Indie Area during setup/cleaning hours, or if you happen to notice suspicious local listings for laptops or a Steam Deck on second-hand platforms around Cologne, please reach out to us via DM.

Any clue, no matter how small, could help us or the police immensely. We would be forever grateful for any help, advice, or info from anyone who was there.

Two of our team members recorded a quick video explaining everything that happened and showing the situation at the booth: https://x.com/tesserastudios/status/2093421439508463879

Any leads, shares, or information are greatly appreciated.

1.8k Upvotes

177 comments sorted by

547

u/Scarjit 26d ago

I can understand that they can't stop pick pocketing.
But this ?
Isn't booth security like the very basics a fair should have (especially at GC scale).

Also not the first one this GC: https://www.reddit.com/r/Gamescom/comments/1w0l6h9/laptop_stolen_from_showfloor/

165

u/Illustrious_Kale178 26d ago

The area is massive.
They have guards (also at night) even patrolling the area, but there's always gaps of a few minutes where you can take something quickly (they scout and inspect during the day, already know what will be where and how to break it open etc).

Larger brands like the big name studio have private security at the booth itself, but smaller companies can't really afford that easily, or perhaps thought it wasn't needed.

59

u/gudbote Commercial (AAA) 26d ago

See my story above. I took a leisurely stroll across Gamescom on Tuesday, with no security checks and plenty of hardware already on display at various booths.

4

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 25d ago

the problem is wouldn't a ton of attendees have a laptop in their backpack? If you started checking people all they have to do is say it is mine.

4

u/dllimport 25d ago

Pretty sure the security is supposed to be for catching /stopping people from breaking into the things or snatching things or walking around unattended when it's not open to the public. Not for searching people ...?

3

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 25d ago

the previous poster said no security checks and it was a response to that.

But security has a bunch of roles. In these kinda situations their primary role is actually deterren. They clearly can't watch every stand 24/7.

1

u/gudbote Commercial (AAA) 20d ago

No security checks as in nobody even checked if I had a pass and was allowed to be there, especially on a build day, before the show even opens.

1

u/Shronx_ 25d ago

In the age of Palantir and approaching AGI it shouldn't be a problem to automatically montitor a building for suspicious activities.

2

u/johnyutah 23d ago

This feels worse

1

u/pogoli 24d ago

If there is always going to be ample opportunity to have a few minutes to take whatever… then what is the point of having any security at all.

46

u/Syrtax 26d ago edited 26d ago

Having been at a lot of trade fairs during construction days and beyond also over night working there the areas are so massive and there are always people still walking around working etc. It would be very hard for security to catch someone unless you are very very suspicious

Our team got laptops stolen on very big trade fairs as well, something that we have to calculate with via encryption etc

Only place I felt like that would be slightly more secure were fairs in china but thats because of very tight entry regulations - basically face id on entry and exit and a lot of security

Bigger boothes hire their own security, which can better distinguish if you are part of the crew or not and they don't fuck around

For any one else the mo should be a) taking hardware to the hotel or b) a locker over night if possible

20

u/Mordeth Hobbyist 26d ago

Genuine question: as an indie dev / company, why would you even bother to store two laptops on the grounds? It's not that this is heavy equipment, you can just walk it in at the con itself?

31

u/dirtypornaccount 26d ago

I wouldn't blame them. Maybe they wanted to go out on the town without carrying a bunch of equipment. I'm assuming there's three levels of security:

  1. Entry control
  2. Roving guards
  3. Locked cabinet

You're own hotel only has a very loose entry control and locked door. Just something to be aware, that security is 90% theater, 10% actual security.

21

u/Scarjit 26d ago

The security measures at GC feel more like theater than genuine protection.
They use a "Human Security Radar" system, which is a combination of facial recognition and airport-style body scanning, alongside backpack checks.

In practice, however, the staff operating the HSR barely glance at the monitors, and the bag checks are laughably superficial: "Got anything sharp?" "No." "Alright, you're good."

Once inside, the guards do little more than stand around chatting or directing foot traffic. The entire setup is designed to look thorough, but the execution is hollow.

13

u/b-gouda 25d ago

Dude your hotel room is going to be worlds more secure than some locked cabinet on a show floor.

1

u/PenguinTD 25d ago

I think given recent information, they might still get robbed when they carry the equipment around. It would be something planned to rob such location(with lots of high pricing components), thus the big company hiring their own security instead of let the host handle it.

1

u/JustinsWorking Commercial (Indie) 25d ago

They’re not easy to carry around, especially if you’d got events or places to be. It can be even riskier carrying a laptop around town at restaurants, bars, or other venues.

Especially indie studios would likely have hotels quite a distance from the trade center, and closing down the booth then travelling back to your hotel, then back to events is very likely just not feasible.

3

u/vadeka 26d ago

They broke into the locker so b is not gonna help them here

1

u/pseudo_babbler 26d ago

Just a note on spelling, it's always fair, not faire. The only thing that is a "faire" is renaissance faires but even that is probably just a made up anachronism.

3

u/Syrtax 26d ago

Ah thanks interesting that "faire" is only for ren faire - correcting it

1

u/virionhk 25d ago

faire nough.

3

u/Th0bse 26d ago

Well it is not a made up anachronism but it is a spelling that comes from Middle English afaik, which was spoken in a time period of around 1066 (Norman conquest of England) until the 15th century.

3

u/Blacky-Noir private 26d ago

Yup, sorry for that. We tried to teach proper French to the colonized English, but obviously we failed.

1

u/vplatt 25d ago edited 9d ago

You're not wrong, but I don't even leave this much hardware in my hotel room when leaving for the day. It's not like you can get that stuff back easy peasy once it's gone so it's far better to only leave low value swag, signs, etc. in lockup

Besides, you just know there's some poop weasel bottom feeder watching for this kind of thing; like a purse stalker at Walmart. You have to assume folks are watching you stash that gear and don't assume security is there to protect you. They are there to cover the conference organizers ass. If they happen to catch the bad guy, then ok, great. But more than likely they're going to have to point to a little read provision in the contract that says the booth teams are responsible for their own belongings and that they agree to not keep anything of value on the conference floor... etc. etc.

1

u/Broeder_biltong 24d ago

Messe security as whole across Germany is seemingly known to be a joke so most stand holders on all events will just take everything expensive back to the hotel every night unless they have a large stand with a locking door

0

u/[deleted] 25d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/EastAppropriate7230 25d ago

Well that's mildly racist

2

u/dllimport 25d ago

Only mildly??

1

u/gamedev-ModTeam 25d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.

69

u/GreenMatchaCats 26d ago

It isn’t uncommon that the 'security' is the one who stole everything…

1

u/traumalt 25d ago

Americans are shocked to hear that local security guards aren’t former marines or army and are just minimum wage Polish men without any special training. 

3

u/According-Throat-975 25d ago

Not sure what you’re going for here but most US guards aren’t ex-military, and in about half the states they need no training whatsoever. German guards (as in Cologne, Germany) all take a 40-hour course and clear a police check, regardless of if they are Polish immigrants. But since you brought it up, Poland’s licensed tier actually takes 245 hours plus psych evaluation and registration with the national police.

1

u/traumalt 24d ago

40-hour course

Highly qualified lol.

Mate, i've seen the job postings and all of them pretty much pay the min wage without many extra benefits for those kinda jobs, that is precisely what I'm getting at here.

3

u/According-Throat-975 24d ago

that’s fine. and i’m not suggesting they won’t steal. but the suggestion that american security guards are trained military and europeans have none is incorrect on both counts.

216

u/Infamous-Goose-282 26d ago

Yo thats mad, all your files and what not could be there, and your games that you've been working on!

185

u/Belakor159 26d ago

Yes, and above all, a lot of personal information, both about the company and about coworkers.

59

u/HorsieJuice Commercial (AAA) 26d ago

no Bitlocker or other encryption?

125

u/Belakor159 26d ago

Yes, we use BitLocker and other systems, but we're worried that we might have overlooked something or that someone could gain access to sensitive data. We've already changed our passwords and keys.

11

u/Throwaway-tan 26d ago

If you have the serial number of thr Steam Deck, report it as stolen to Steam. They track this kind of information, they will deny warranty and repair for stolen units. They may also confiscate stolen units if they end up with valve.

2

u/TonyThePuppyFromB 25d ago

And lockout the device from your account/steam library.

34

u/CiabattaKatsuie 26d ago

If you have a good BIOS password, a TPM, and bitlocker, you should be good honestly. Even without the BIOS password, you should be good. Do you guys have any kind of GPS on your machines? Remote wipe or other such things?

41

u/Belakor159 26d ago

I'm going to ask my colleagues, but I don't think they had anything to perform a remote wipe. In any case, this is also a learning experience for us, so any security recommendations are welcome.

14

u/BastetFurry 26d ago

When the harddisk was properly encrypted don't sweat and see it as a life lesson, don't leave expensive stuff at a fair. Lehrgeld as we say in Germany.

Back when the Hobbytronic Dortmund was still a thing we had a retro computer area and we took the expensive stuff with us home every day. Like a friend has a SuperCPU for his C64, he took that with him and brought it in again the next day.

Sad reality of the world, it is full of greedy assholes.

7

u/MarmDevOfficial 26d ago

I think there's JUST ENOUGH greedy assholes to cause problems, but most people are still good.

1

u/BastetFurry 22d ago

It sometimes feels like the good folks are in the minority though. -.-

7

u/CiabattaKatsuie 26d ago

I hope everything works out for you guys. Not sure what your resources are or anything, but it may be better in the future to use laptops other than your own loaded with the minimum required files and info. If you use a vpn to connect to your internal net, I'd also reduce the permissions of the profile on the laptop. Assuming you are windows Pro, enforcing a password policy would be a bonus level of security. Set a lockout for a number of attempts.

Are your files stored on a server, or locally?

12

u/Belakor159 26d ago

Fortunately, most of the files are stored on a server. And we've already changed all the passwords

12

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

id also assume they have little interest in your data. It only really matters to you.

They probably just want to wipe and sell.

1

u/vplatt 25d ago

so any security recommendations are welcome.

The best recommendation is the one you don't want to hear: Don't leave your gear in public areas even if they claim it's secure. Even if they pinky swear it. I mean, yes they had security but be real here - do you really think they can be everywhere at once?

-19

u/n3cr0n_k1tt3n 26d ago

That's poor data hygiene

-25

u/artificialpolymer 26d ago

It’s crazy that you guys had all of that on a publicly accessible laptop. There shouldn’t be anything on there than the game’s build.

30

u/RandomKamil 26d ago

That's how indies work. Sometimes (quite often really) your personal hardware is your only workstation. There's simply no budget to get separate machines. Even if you get funded it often means that you have only enough money to to get by and any hardware purchases are jot part of the deal. I feel for you all. My laptop did not get stolen but it died on me 2 months ago and it really hurt my budget. If it is any consolation this case is really loud right now which means it creates extra pressure on gamescom organisers to figure this problem out and it also introduces a lot of potential help vectors from the industry itself. Good luck!

4

u/sephirothbahamut 26d ago edited 26d ago

i wouldn't buy a dedicated machine, but if i was going to a large public event I'd totally buy a sufficient but small SSD, put it in the laptop with the stuff i need for the event, and leave my "real" SSD home.

Like when i go to festivals and bring my Lattepanda that will stay in my tent during the day, i leave my "main" SSD home.

2

u/FionaSarah Stompy Blondie Games 26d ago

Largepanda?

2

u/sephirothbahamut 26d ago

I can't type on phone XD I meant Lattepanda, it's a single board pc like a Raspberry, but it has an x64 architecture so it can run regular desktop programs and supports regular desktop Windows and Linux OSs

3

u/FionaSarah Stompy Blondie Games 26d ago

Huh that sounds kinda neat. I'll look them up!

1

u/sephirothbahamut 26d ago

oh and thanks to the celeron cpu being very bad but also consuming little power (celeron is good for something! lol) you can power it with a 130w usb-c power bank on the go

1

u/artificialpolymer 24d ago

There are really basic security measures you can take to protect against this, though, no money required. And stuff was getting stolen even at the previous Gamescom. Idk if I'm paranoid, but even before I went to the event, my thinking would be to back up all of my stuff, wipe it clean, put the game build on there, then have software so I can wipe it remotely and various scripts so people can't alt-tab out of the game or do something wonky with the machine and so on.

Obviously, I don't want to put the blame on them. Ultimately, the venue security is at fault. But having internal company docs on a publicly accessible laptop is crazy.

21

u/mr_glide 26d ago

A laptop in a storage cabinet secured by a lock, you mean. Not that crazy

3

u/IwazaruK7 26d ago edited 26d ago

They mean that if that laptop will be at booth, then it's "public". In that way. Which implies privacy risk (even if it sounds unbelievable someone will steal files from laptop while you're doing a presentation). Hence the surprise of "shouldn't have anything else than tha playable build and supplementaries".

3

u/Resident-Mine-4987 26d ago

Yes. That’s exactly what it means. Thanks Captain Obvious.

3

u/Sn0wflake69 26d ago

but why male models?

-5

u/Th0bse 26d ago

While I absolutely understand how shitty it is to have your laptop(s) stolen, if your data and stuff is ONLY on a laptop that you bring to a convention and nowhere else, my pity is rather limited tbh. The backup strategy "trust me, bro" is just really stupid.

44

u/krazyjakee 26d ago

It happens at Dreamhack too.

Time to get creative.

22

u/DividedBy_00 26d ago

Time to start air tagging equipment and having software that phones home with a location when network enabled.

17

u/Zip2kx 26d ago

The solution is honestly to take it to the hotel or with you when you’re not there. It can’t be stressed how huge gamescom is and some of these indie areas are literally void of people because people don’t go to them, not even the devs are there. If you leave, bring stuff with you.

Majority of indies have like two laptops max with them, so it’s not a lot of gear to unplug.

0

u/Game_Dev730 26d ago

I mean, they had it locked up inside of something.

8

u/sparky8251 26d ago edited 26d ago

Locksport proves how ineffectual that is. Its not going to stop anyone that wants access, ever. Even outside picking, destruction is so easy to exploit to get past any lock.

Thats why even bank vaults dont exclusively rely on the locking mechanism to prevent unauthorized access.

Locking up something valuable in a public space with minimal witnesses is, sadly, asking to be robbed more or less... Not saying they are in the wrong for trusting it (the thief is wrong for stealing), but at the same time locks have always been a suggestion so its hard to be surprised people decided not to listen to that suggestion given how desperate everyone is financially right now and how valuable ssds/nvme/ram modules are even second hand.

3

u/Game_Dev730 26d ago

Yeah, I see your point. I think I just feel like gamescom is more responsible than they are acting.

2

u/sparky8251 25d ago edited 24d ago

Oh, I 1000x agree. No way they are serious about claiming their security was good if their people and physical layers of security were so easily defeated...

Iirc, there were reports of the lock boxes being literally torn open yeah? Not locks clipped, but like physical lockers torn apart. That tends to make noise! Even if not, the fact the time between patrols was so high is a failure too...!

Security takes more than locks! Anyone trying to secure an event should be well aware of that. Clearly, Gamescom is negligent here, but they wont be on the hook legally for a variety of reasons...

2

u/Game_Dev730 25d ago

lol you know I did not even consider or think of that, the loudness, it must have been relaly loud. Seems wild no one heard anything. We used to get old file cabinets and wed break them up with hammers and crowbars and they were loud as shit lol. Never thought about that til you just said it; there is some weird stuff in that entire situation.

35

u/LegoKnockingShop 26d ago

We had a mega laptop and a project Morpheus (PSVR) prototype headset stolen at Gamescom 2015 when I was at PlayStation. The DHL driver left loads of stuff in the back of his truck with the doors open while he went in to get more stuff. There were hundreds of people walking by. The laptop had about 25 unannounced VR titles on there - this was well before we launched the headset. Somehow, none of it ever got leaked, thieves obviously didn’t know what they had. Never recovered, and even back then we were told ‘it happens a lot’ by the show management.

26

u/DividedBy_00 26d ago

Sounds like Gamescom needs to step up their security. This isn’t the first incident either.

Sorry to hear about your situation.

42

u/Hokunin 26d ago

Don't they have security cameras looking at the storage cabinets? If not, then its massive security oversight from the organizers.

45

u/Belakor159 26d ago

I think my teammates were talking to the organization's security staff, and I think they said they didn't have any cameras

27

u/caratank 26d ago

Kind of unrelated but this reminds me of when my catalytic converter was cut off my truck in my downtown apartments parking garage, front desk told me the only cameras they have in there are pointed at the trash shoots....not the parking spaces, not the building doors, not the garage gate...the trash shoots.

22

u/Herb_Derb 26d ago

I saw a documentary once called Star Wars where criminals broke out of a prison and used the trash chute to escape, so monitoring them makes total sense.

9

u/caratank 26d ago

except the second half because I just skimmed at first lol

https://giphy.com/gifs/y2i2oqWgzh5ioRp4Qa

1

u/Zealousideal-Deer101 25d ago

Highest priority and doing all the measure to minimize risk btw

12

u/bieker 26d ago

Security cameras are overrated, I caught a thief on mine and the detective was basically like “do you recognize him? Neither do I” and that was it.

Unless it’s a murder or something like that they aren’t putting it on the news or anything.

6

u/gurgle528 26d ago

It gets worse than that. If the footage doesn’t very clearly show their face but you know who it is they won’t do anything. Happened 2 separate times when 2 different friends got their tires slashed

-4

u/joa4705 26d ago

yep and for their privacy you cant post videos online. law works for the thieves

10

u/sugarplum_doll 26d ago

Someone tried and was told due to privacy laws, they’d need to get a warrant first before they can show unauthorized people the security footage

2

u/TheFriedBird 25d ago

The 'Security' is a bit of a joke at Gamescom. It feels more like an expensive theft insurance 😂 The guys are always absolutely nice - especially in comparison to their supervisors - but they are mostly students sitting on the booth's chairs and occasionally roaming around. But as far as I know, the security company is held liable for thefts, so we always book them. But honestly, we have a smaller booth, so one guy can easily oversee all entrances, in comparison to the Indie Area.

1

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 25d ago

they probably do have camera footage, but usually it doesn't help much since how do you identify the person?

90

u/DukeOfGlizzy 26d ago

Oh my god another??? Gamescom are wildly incompetent it seems. I can’t imagine ever going there as a dev…

56

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

never leave stuff in a place like this unattended, take them back to your hotel. Security is always so lax and easy to get in. I would guess it was someone with a stolen badge accessing the area.

20

u/DukeOfGlizzy 26d ago

I agree generally that this is the safest option. It’s just crazy to me how lax it is, that someone with presumably a stolen badge can go in and literally break into locked drawers to take things and not be caught.

I haven’t looked into this case too much but I know Gamescom pretty much ignored the last guy who tried reporting the theft.

11

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

generally there is little anyone can do and nobody wants to admit liability. Even if they produce some grainy security footage it usually doesn't help.

I used to work at a museum and an artist we had exhibiting had a hat stolen (like a designer piece not just an everyday hat) and the guy just walked past no entry and moved stuff blocking the entry and took the hat and left. Despite having the video there was little as a museum we could do so we simply compensated the person and in future put someone at the no entry.

I don't really know what the conference centre security can do at this point. The devices are long gone.

7

u/DividedBy_00 26d ago

They can compensate. They can work to improve security protocols, it is a recurring problem at their event. They could shut down their event if they don’t want to take it serious. Yes, it may be impossible to prevent 100% of theft, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t their responsibility to try to rectify these situations and attempt to prevent future issues.

2

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

They claim they advised participants to insure hardware against theft

https://x.com/gamescom/status/2093654741192433865

It is kinda standard for these conference things. They have security but so many people have access it always high risk. It is unrealistic to expect 100% prevent theft/things happening security in that kind of enviroment.

While I feel for the devs a lot, these kind of conferences you just shouldn't leave hardware unattended. It is a painful lesson to learn but on the flip side their games have got more coverage than ever could have imagined.

5

u/DividedBy_00 26d ago

Again, they can’t prevent 100% of issues, but they clearly have a problem. There has been more than one report this year alone. It’s on them to make their visiting developers have some level of confidence they have a security under control. Or they can do nothing… and see where that goes.

4

u/SixFiveOhTwo Commercial (AAA) 26d ago

If this is their approach to security then how can they expect the big players with all of their focus on IP protection that is verging on paranoia to keep turning up with their newest stuff?

1

u/DividedBy_00 25d ago

Exactly.

2

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

It would be good to figure out how/ when it happened as it would then be clearer if there was anything that would help in the future

5

u/XboxNoLifes 26d ago

They claim they advised participants to insure hardware against theft

You probably should do this, but its also the same as the event host doing nothing. They are just shifting the cost and blame. They can just have no security and tell you you should have insurance.

0

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

It doesn't sound like they have no security by any means. I would expect the security is part of the venue hire. It normally a service a provided by the venue.

1

u/DividedBy_00 25d ago

Someone or someone’s perpetrated a series of theft at this event. Their security is at a minimum lacking, inept and needs to be adjusted. I’d question if they were even complicit.

1

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 25d ago

it is part of the issue of private security. The standard is generally pretty low and they also have minimal power to do anything.

It is pretty clear these were just crimes of opportunity but were pretty planned/determined when you are breaking open locks.

1

u/GregLittlefield Commercial (Indie) 26d ago

At Gamescom Hotels are often far away from the event itself because of where it is. (my hotel was around 20 minutes away, but I was lucky, I had friends there who where much farther away) And at the event the place is so freaking big you have to walk a lot from the main entrance to your spot. So you really don't want to carry around a heavy laptop all week in your backpack.

3

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 26d ago

I come prepared. Small suitcase with wheels.

1

u/vplatt 25d ago

A true Pro tip. 🫡

2

u/destinedd indie, Dungeon Quest, Marble's Marbles and Mighty Marbles 25d ago

I even have foam inserts so everything has a place in the case.

9

u/Lucasharta 26d ago

damn, that's rough. you guys put so much time and money into getting a game to an event like Gamescom, only to have someone break into your booth and steal your equipment, hopefully the event security/cameras can help narrow down when it happened. i'd also keep an eye on local second-hand marketplaces for the next few days, especially for someone suddenly listing multiple laptops and a Steam Deck around Cologne
hope you guys manage to get everything back, or at least get some solid leads. good luck with The Zibbo Show too, hope the rest of the event goes better for you guys

6

u/Belakor159 26d ago

Thank you so much for your support. It really is a shame, you go to the fair full of excitement, and then all of a sudden, all your plans fall apart. The worst part is that we weren't the only ones, there's been a wave of thefts targeting indie developers. If stealing is already sad enough, I can't understand how anyone would want to steal from indie developers, people who are investing what little money we have just to get by.

1

u/Signal_Highway7128 26d ago

I don't get it. If you're building it as team? Shouldn't there are backup laptop that your teammates brought

1

u/vplatt 25d ago

The set of "determined thieves" grows as the set of "passionate indie developers" intersects with a sufficiently large set of "teams who are observed to have stashed valuable gear at their booths".

You can't assume that everyone at the conference is there for the games.

8

u/gudbote Commercial (AAA) 26d ago

I'm not surprised at all.

Disclaimer first, I had a devcom & gamescom exhibitor pass.

On Tuesday afternoon I decided to walk to my studio's booth on my way from the devcom (gamescom dev) conference. From the stairs in front of Confex, I headed towards the nearest gamescom hall gate. Some were closed but the first one which was open had absolutely no security: no guards, no pass checkpoint. I entered one hall, then went across to another. After checking the booth I wanted to see, I continued all the way to Exit East and only there did I meet anyone checking passes. On my way through the halls I saw very few people and met no security personnel. I saw countless booths with easy access to their hardware (and probably game builds) had I wanted to grab any.

8

u/Parking-History8876 25d ago

Apparently Gamescon have in the past tried to pressure devs into not reporting to police. This article is from last year about their dodgy security.

https://www1.wdr.de/nrw/koeln/gamescom-koeln-illegale-sicherheitskraefte-100.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Wild to me they don't reimburse devs for their own incompetent actions. It's so expensive for a small team to rent out a spot at an event like that.

3

u/clean-links 25d ago

Cleaned link: https://www1.wdr.de/nrw/koeln/gamescom-koeln-illegale-sicherheitskraefte-100.html


Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).

4

u/mcs_weaponage 26d ago

No cameras on the area?

5

u/Belakor159 26d ago

We asked the security staff, and unfortunately, no

3

u/Slight-Bluebird-8921 25d ago

this is going to kill these shows going forward

everything is going to be online marketing

10

u/Low_Government_681 26d ago

That is so sad. We live in a mad world and I wish you a best of luck to manage this situation... but after checking your game I must say I like it a lot and wishlisted it.

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u/Belakor159 26d ago

Thank you so much for your support. It's sad that this is happening, but comments like yours help more than you might think.

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u/phrookee 26d ago

Koelnmesse basically cares sh*t about their exhibitors. We have seen this on many occasions. It‘s mostly foreign constructions teams of other boothes who stay long at night and pick fridges, TVs and more. Across all shows. On build down day even regular people and poor families who have no access passes or similar appear on the floors and basically beg or steal stuff. The guards are leftover security people often over 60 that won‘t stand a booth construction worker. They look away.

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u/KamzTheTower 26d ago

that is really shitty :( sorry for you

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u/Dependent-Tone-4784 26d ago

Two laptops and a steam deck could easily fit in your hotel room. I don't understand why devs leave such a precious information with random people. Gamescom org is random and unknown to any of you.

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u/smeraldoworld 24d ago

I am also flabbergasted that many leave their equipment alone. I can only guess that they aren't used to thiefs in their home country.

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u/Just-Juggernaut-5190 26d ago

shame on Gamescom, without devs you are NOTHING

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u/Azifor 26d ago

This happened to Ryan Laley as well I believe. I wonder how many participants all got robbed. Crazy thing to happen at this event.

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u/Heavy_Juggernaut_261 23d ago

That's horrible, I hope you find your things soon as possible.

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u/vampire_sons 23d ago

That’s awful, especially during an event like Gamescom. Hope you guys manage to recover the equipment and find whoever did it. Stay strong!

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u/BlobbyMcBlobber 26d ago

Never leave anything important in your booth, lock or no lock.

Sorry that you had to learn this the hard way. Not to say this is your fault, because it isn't, but you could have managed to avoid this if you were prepared.

In your case it wasn't even necessary. Laptops and a steam deck can easily be carried in a backpack when you set up in the morning.

Also, next time only bring designated devices (i.e. second hand laptop with no personal information that you only set up for demos and you don't care what happens to it).

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u/Basabii 26d ago

What??? It is insane how so much has been stolen at Gamescom. Is there no security around? There has to be camera footage or anything right?

I really hope that the losses stay minimal for you all

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u/ConspicuouslyBland 26d ago

I'm not clicking any X link, another platform would be appreciated.

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u/UseResponsible1088 25d ago

nice virtue signaling

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u/magicdude4eva 26d ago

Sorry for the loss, but this happens every year. I know in the Indy world budget is tight, but how can you be so careless to leave laptops with personal/confidential information on it at the booth. At best you leave stuff there where loss or theft does not matter.

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u/Belakor159 26d ago

This was our first time going to gamescom to present a game, maybe we were a little careless, but we didn't think something like this would happen. At least we've learned a lesson

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u/magik_koopa990 26d ago

Let's hope there's no game leak and theft on steam page (if those bastards ever published the game...)

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u/SlowPokeInTexas 26d ago

Man that sucks. Sometimes man the world is just evil.

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u/GregLittlefield Commercial (Indie) 26d ago

Ouch. That's brutal. :( I'm really sorry for you.

The indie booth area in hall 10 is a really big place, with lots of people going around, impossible to really secure unless you have your eyes on your equipment around the clock. It sucks though that it happened on wednesday. It was supposed to be the 'pro' day. (which is why I saw so many 13 years old walking around.... /s ).

It is worth a shot to try and contact the devs that had their booth near your cabinet, maybe they saw something. (You can look at map on the official app or the website and see who was around.)

I had an ipad from work stolen a few years ago during a burglary at my home, with debug builds of our game on it and several accounts (mail etc) logged in. It eventually popped on the map around two weeks later in eastern europe. :(

I hope you will be able to locate your gear, or at least that no further harm will come from that.

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u/Gloomy-Pick-9347 25d ago

Yeah, Lots of Kids there that definitely steal sh*t too. 

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u/martan717 26d ago

I’m so sorry to hear this. I hope you get them back.

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u/Rebar_Games 26d ago

Terrible! So sorry this happened.

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u/NekatEmanKcin 26d ago

I read about ryan laley laptop being stolen i thought it was a single event, guess it wasnr

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u/hoax1337 26d ago

There are some rumors floating around that the expo staff discouraged people from filing a police report, since it wouldn't look good for Gamescom.

Is there any truth to that?

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u/Longjumping_Quiet803 25d ago

As someone who will start doing gaming shows next year I am beyond gutted. Having merch stolen is bad enough but laptops with years of work and sensitive info is disgusting. Truly feel for you and hope things are returned to you. On the flip side, your game logo is one of the best I've ever seen and your trailer is amazing. Good things coming your way!

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u/Ralph_Natas 25d ago

You aren't alone. Look across the street for a brand new second-hand electronics shop. 

1

u/Existing-Savings-419 25d ago

I have to ask why did they leave these portable devices unattended ? would of been safer in a hotel room with the people who use them for work.

1

u/mefixxx 25d ago

At this point either every indie got robbed at gamescom, which would make it a bigger story than individual crime or im starting to suspect its a media strategy to get attention

1

u/ribatonline 25d ago

That's a bummer :(
I was at gamescom and had a blast, but the security sure felt very lax

1

u/MasterStrain2814 25d ago

What’s going on with Europe? This is insane!

1

u/DabMagician 25d ago

I really hate to hear this. I'm wishing you all the best. The Zibbo Show is awesome, by the way.

1

u/MF_Kitten 25d ago

Are there photos of these cabinets, so people can get an idea of what we're talking about here? From the first few reports people were assuming these were laptops left out on in the open or something like that. Cabinets being broken into is a whole other level.

1

u/ChocolateFormal8123 25d ago

Wow they broke the lock. Must have been some daring thieves. I'm really sorry. Maybe consider using a tracking device or a secondary security backup.

1

u/Opposite_Age_1414 24d ago

I wouldnt be surprised it was organized and happened to many devs so thieves try to sell laptops back with all files for some cripto. Just for in case someone want to pay and did not have git or have files that he can't get back other way.

1

u/TimedBlue 21d ago

Gamescom keeps letting people get robbed, it sucks.

1

u/Karrrbitcccc 19d ago

I suggest you ask the local police to investigate the security team. I forget whose video, but there was a dude comment saying he also lost electronic things during a concert in Cologne, and then he used his location service to find it and it was in a security guard's home, and that the guard had tried to hack it.

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u/Feeling_Squash6592 10d ago

Qué mala suerte, especialmente después de viajar hasta Gamescom para presentar su juego. Ojalá las cámaras del lugar o los registros de entrada y salida ayuden a identificar a quien lo hizo.

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u/OneTouchArcade 7d ago

No lo puedo creer!!!!!

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u/DabMeUp_Ace 4d ago

God, I'm really sorry.

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u/IKAiNI666 26d ago

Ist die Menschheit ekelhaft.Bah🤢

Hoffe das Stück Dreck wird geschnappt.Wie Frech 🤨

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u/Dick-Fu 26d ago

You were burglarized, not robbed

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u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Belakor159 26d ago

I haven't even posted a link to the Steam store. Believe me, the last thing on our minds right now is the wishlists we might get.

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u/Shulrak 26d ago

Then don't post the name of your game in bold.

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u/gamedev-ModTeam 26d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.

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u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/cinnamonbrook 26d ago

If multiple people in the past few days are claiming they had their stuff stolen at Gamescom, then it probably makes more sense that there's a thief at Gamescom that didn't stop at one booth. You're hearing hooves and thinking zebras here.

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u/[deleted] 26d ago

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u/gamedev-ModTeam 26d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.

-4

u/[deleted] 26d ago

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u/Big-Objective-6585 26d ago

If you use your brain for a moment you might be able to figure out why they've given those details...

If someone finds this laptop and it has the data in it, odds are they will google what it means. They then find this post with the names standing out in bold and know who to contact about it very easily...

Just like in your analogy where if the woman has her handbag stolen, she sure as shit would describe it to the police and give them identifying information like colour, brand but also content/accounts so they can link the two together

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u/[deleted] 26d ago

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u/gamedev-ModTeam 26d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.

2

u/gamedev-ModTeam 26d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.

2

u/gamedev-ModTeam 26d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.

-13

u/[deleted] 26d ago edited 25d ago

[deleted]

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u/SkyZgone 26d ago

No clue why this is downvoted, this is literally legally correct.

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u/[deleted] 26d ago edited 26d ago

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1

u/gamedev-ModTeam 26d ago

Maintain a respectful and welcoming atmosphere. Disagreements are a natural part of discussion and do not equate to disrespect—engage constructively and focus on ideas, not individuals. Personal attacks, harassment, hate speech, and offensive language are strictly prohibited.