Following immense backlash to its original response, Gamescom has issued a new statement addressing a wave of thefts that occurred at this year’s show.
Last week, several developers, including solo indie developer Ryan Laley, reported that their Gamescom booths had been hit by thieves, bringing their exhibiting time at the show to an abrupt end.
As more reports poured in, Gamescom issued a statement addressing the situation. This statement, however, was seen by many as an attempt to deflect blame back towards developers, implying that exhibitors should have booked separate booth security to prevent equipment theft.
Now, after nearly a week of radio silence, Gamescom have issued a new statement apologising for their initial response and outlining steps to improve security at future shows.
The statement reads as follows:
“Over the past few days, we have received a great deal of criticism for the way we communicated about the theft of hardware belonging to several indie developers. That criticism is 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.
A theft like this is far more than a material loss. It can ruin an entire gamescom for the people it happens to, and it can destroy work that took months or years to build – work that, for a small studio, can be almost everything. To everyone affected: we understand what this has cost you, and we should have said so from the very first moment.
We have already begun talking with those affected – about the theft, about its consequences, and above all to listen.
We have also been moved by how this industry responded. Within hours, people offered help – unconditionally, and without being asked. That says a great deal about this community, and we are grateful for it. What it does not do is relieve us, as the organizers, of our own responsibility to work together with our exhibitors and partners to create the best possible environment for everyone. We are therefore committed to jointly reviewing and further improving security.
Here is what we are doing: Alongside our regular post-event review and our evaluation of exhibitor feedback, we will carry out a dedicated review of security for indie exhibitors. In the coming weeks, we will invite organizers of shared indie booths to a roundtable, so that we can develop concrete measures together.
We also urge every exhibitor who has experienced an incident to report it – to us and to the police – even if it happened some time ago. Only then can incidents be documented, possible connections between them investigated, and appropriate action taken.
Gamescom is made by the industry, for the industry. It lives on the passion of the people who build it, and that includes the many small studios who matter to us enormously. Our commitment has always been to keep making gamescom better – together with the community, not just when things go well. That is exactly what we will do here. Thank you to everyone who is helping us.”