This Gamescom, while a magical and wonderful event for many, was also drowned in a sea of controversy, mainly because indie developers were particularly targeted by heavy theft. Several had their hardware stolen, including laptops and other crucial items, with Gamescom initially shifting the blame away from itself.
The organizers claimed that, despite the security present on-site and limited access to the venues at night, developers are supposed to take care of their own belongings and thus take up responsibility in the event of theft. That did not go over well with anyone, as it was seen as a tone-deaf response to real problems that may have impacted some exhibitors to an extreme degree.
And so, Gamescom issued an apology today, saying that it “understand[s] what this has cost” and that it “should have said so from the very first moment.” To make up for its approach, Gamescom is going to scrutinize indie booths in particular as part of a broader post-event review process and subsequently invite “organizers of shared indie booths” to a roundtable conversation to determine the measures to be taken going forward.
Gamescom further urged affected developers to report any incidents both to the organizers and the police so separate cases could possibly be tied together and the culprits identified.
It’s something, at least. Gamescom should have acted as such as soon as things transpired, but I guess it’s better late than never. It’s apparently also not the only situation in which Gamescom tried to avoid blame. One developer claimed that, during one of the past events, they had their hardware stolen, but instead of offering help, Gamescom allegedly told them not to report it to the police to avoid making the event and Cologne look bad.
I hope the organizers learn something from this ordeal. Without gamers and developers, the venue would not exist, and these thefts are making it very hard for some to maintain their own existence.
