An indie developer has been left devastated after thieves stole equipment from his booth at Gamescom overnight.
Ryan Laley, an indie developer showcasing his game at this year’s event, reported that he and several other developers had been affected, which has brought their time at this year’s show to an early end.
According to Insider Gaming, it’s been reported that at least eight laptops have been stolen.
“So yeah, our booth got raided last night,” Laley said in a video posted to X. “Not just mine, others as well. All our laptops have been stolen.”
“As an indie solo dev, this shit’s expensive and hard to do all by yourself. And to have this happen is beyond frustrating.
“It’s heartbreaking.”
Laley says that the theft has been reported to the relevant authorities, including centre management and the police, but sadly doesn’t expect the laptop to be found or returned.
“[They] just took the actual laptop itself, along with other people’s. It’s not just mine; it’s the whole area. It’s been raided.
“I don’t really know what I’m going to do now, as I can’t really do my job.
“Effectively, Gamescom is over for me.”
Laley’s game, Mimic, is a multiplayer survival horror game where up to 10 players must work together to escape a doomed spaceship.
Players must also figure out which member of the team is the Mimic, a shapeshifting alien tasked with taking out the entire crew.
Mimic is set to release into early access on October 27th.
If you’re interested, be sure to check out the game’s Steam page here.