Gamescom 2025 – Montage Images Wiki Commons

BND wants hackers capable of waging cyberwar on Russia.

The newly beefed-up German foreign intelligence service is trying to get a leg up on its Russian foes by tapping a younger, radically different class of agents: gamers.

The BND has launched a recruitment drive for game enthusiasts, eying a ‘new generation of tech-savvy secret agents.’

Germany wants to turn gamers into spies — The Telegraph

Germany’s BND agency is heading to Gamescom to scout tech-savvy gamers with the skills to help fight Russian hackers

Recruits will face a 5-step cyber challenge with BND even having its own game about stealth & hacking pic.twitter.com/goQEOm8srf

— RTVisual (@RT_Visual_on_X) August 24, 2026

The Telegraph reported:

“The Telegraph understands that agents from the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), the German equivalent of Britain’s MI6, will attend the world’s largest video game festival to recruit young spies.

BND officials said there was a ‘significant overlap’ between the skills possessed by gaming fans and those the agency needs to retaliate against Russian hackers targeting critical infrastructure in Germany.”

Read: German Spies Will Get Much More Dangerous as Merz Draws Up New Law Allowing Intelligence Services to Attack and Sabotage “Enemies of the State’

This is not the first time the BND has tackled gamers, because the exact same drive was enacted last year.

“The recruiting operation, at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, is part of a historic rearmament drive in Germany that seeks to turn the once-toothless BND into a rival of MI6 and Mossad.

An intelligence source said gamers at the festival who fit the BND’s profile would be invited to take a five-step challenge that tests their aptitude for cyber-security and hacking.”

The Gamescom will be held in Cologne, and the exhibition will take place August 26-30.

Read more:

A WORLD OF SPOOKS: Germany Approves New Sweeping Powers for Intelligence Services, Leading to Fears of Mass Surveillance