“The Simpsons” Pinball Party game at Cobra Arcade Bar on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – In the heart of downtown Phoenix, modern spaces are bringing retro gaming back to life, drawing crowds of all ages.
Leading this trend are Cobra Arcade Bar and Stardust Pinbar, establishments that have successfully merged vintage video games with a modern bar atmosphere. The combination has captivated locals and tourists, transforming downtown Phoenix into a destination for nostalgic entertainment.
Marcus Boykin, Cobra’s assistant general manager, has witnessed this transformation firsthand since the bar’s inception. “We hit the ground running,” Boykin said. “From our soft openings in January 2016, we’ve had lines out the door on weekends, and it hasn’t slowed down since.”
Marcus Boykin, assistant general manager of Cobra Arcade Bar, checks in with security staff at the bar’s entrance, on June 26, 2024. Boykin has been with Cobra since its opening in 2016. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
The idea behind Cobra Arcade Bar is simple and unique: blend a bar with an arcade filled with classic video games. The bar’s co-owner, Ariel Bracamonte, an avid collector of arcade games, has amassed a large collection over the years.
“He had this concept of combining a bar with a video game arcade,” Boykin said. “And then he just got with a couple of investors and here we are.”
A vibrant bar scene surrounds classic arcade games and a blend of nightlife and nostalgia at Cobra Arcade Bar in Phoenix on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
Cobra, located in the heart of Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row arts district, was a pioneer in its area. “There was nothing like it downtown when we opened,” Boykin said. “It was the whole concept of video games and bars, like that’s just every kid’s dream.”
NBA Jam Tournament Edition and “The Simpsons” arcade machine at Cobra Arcade Bar on June 26, 2024. NBA Jam is a favorite among Cobra visitors. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
A close-up of the Galaga arcade machine at Cobra shows its control panel and highlights the “Fire” button and gameplay instructions for players. Photo taken on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
Boykin said the bar features a rotating selection of games, which get cycled out regularly.
Some of the classics, like NBA Jam, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga and Street Fighter are favorites, but the owner also introduces new games to keep things fresh for patrons. “(Bracamonte) amassed a lot,” Boykin said, “a few warehouses just storing them.”
The token machine at Cobra Arcade Bar in Phoenix on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
For many, the experience is enhanced by an authentic token system, evoking memories of a past era, “just like it was back in the 1980s arcade,” Boykin said.
Cobra’s success has inspired similar ventures, including Stardust Pinbar, known for its extensive collection of pinball machines. Bracamonte opened Stardust in 2019, focusing on implementing a Davd Bowie theme.
Inside of Stardust Pinbar, pinball machines line the walls, and visitors can sit down to enjoy food from Ziggy’s Pizza next door. During the day, it’s a family-friendly establishment, and after 9 p.m. Stardust is a club for adults 21 and older. Photo taken on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
The hallway that leads to Stardust Pinbar mimics a hidden speakeasy entrance. Photo taken on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
Stardust’s entrance mimics a speakeasy style, where visitors enter through Ziggy’s Pizza and go through a freezer door to enter Stardust.
Though Stardust Pinbar offers a more family-friendly environment during the day, it transitions to a club in the evening, allowing adults to indulge in the nostalgic nightlife scene.
Todd Pearson, left, watches Katie Doyle play the Jaws pinball machine at Stardust Pinbar, on June 26, 2024. “I was never into it like he (Todd Pearson) was. I would just smash the buttons. He taught me there is a strategy to it, so now it’s a lot of fun.” Doyle said. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
The rise in popularity of retro gaming and pinball machines is also evident in the success of Firebird Pinball, run by Kris Bliznick and Leslie Newell. Their passion for pinball machines began when they lived in Tucson. Bliznick was a mechanical engineer working at a solar company, and Newell was a journalist.
Leslie Newell and Kris Bliznick attend Zapcon, a retro arcade game and pinball convention, on March 10, 2024. (Photo Courtesy of Firebird Pinball)
They transitioned from hobbyists in the early 2000s to business owners in 2010 and have become the go-to service for pinball enthusiasts in the Valley. “We had our second kid, we both quit our jobs at our professional jobs and started the business, sold the house and moved to Phoenix,” Newell said.
They offer on-site and in-home repair services, including full restorations and artistic additions for all brands, makes and models of electronic arcade pinball machines.
With retro gaming making a resurgence in modern spaces, prices for machines, new or broken have increased. “I used to be able to get a broken machine for $100 or $300 or $500. Now you can’t find a broken one for under a thousand or more,” Bliznick said.
“Every year from 2008 to 2012, I’m like, this has to be peak. It’s going to have to come down, and it didn’t. And then COVID exaggerated it even more,” he said.
Bliznick and Newell helped set up a few pinball machines for Bracamonte when he first opened Cobra Bar Arcade and Stardust Pinbar.
A pinball machine at Stardust Pinbar with an “Out of Order” sign on June 26, 2024. Machines that break down will get replaced by other games until they are fixed. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)
Cobra Arcade Bar has become a destination not just for locals, but also for tourists. “We get a lot of out-of-town visitors, especially during events like Comic-Con (Fan Fusion) and the Super Bowl,” Boykin said.
Even in its eighth year, the arcade remains vibrant and popular. “We’ve been here eight and a half years now and are still kickin,” Boykin said.