“We love to bring back long-lost games”: Blaze Entertainment’s Andrew Byatt on the appeal of retro gaming

Hi Andrew. For anyone new to Blaze Entertainment, can you tell us a little about the company and Evercade?
Blaze has been around the retro gaming space for a while and in 2020, mid-pandemic, we launched the Evercade. The idea was to bring back that nostalgia and the classic gaming experience of having a physical cartridge and going through the motions. Blowing on the cart, opening a brand-new manual and smelling the fresh print… That kind of thing.

We started with some retro licenses that everyone knows like Bandai Namco and Atari – games like Pac-Man, Earthworm Jim, Double Dragon – along with newer indie games. From those 10 cartridges we have grown to over 50 cartridges and have brought over 500 games to the family. We’ve had several hardware variations like a TV console – the VS/VS-R – alongside more handhelds like our EXP/EXP-R, and a new brand of more value positioned machines with HyperMegaTech! Super Pockets. We also have a bartop arcade machine with the Evercade Alpha.

An impressive range. And what steers how you look for games to bring to Evercade? What makes a game – or franchise – attractive to Blaze?
There’s always an element of how well known or loved a franchise or publisher is. We’ve managed to get many different gaming nostalgias from home computers to arcades and home consoles, so demand is always a factor. The other is discoverability. We love to be able to bring back those long-lost games or something from the back catalogues that you otherwise would never have known about or played. But with all of this is the simplicity of being able to play without any fuss or setup that our cartridges provide… And a good choice without leaning into the modern issue of decision paralysis by having too much on offer.

You recently passed one million cartridges sold! Congrats. What do you feel fuels the appetite for retro games?
Nostalgia is a key part of the appeal. Everyone wants something they remember fondly but delivered with a physical cartridge that you own – not a digital download or a modern console purchase – just like the way you remember it being. The other thing is the collectibility of our carts. We numbered our collections much like a volume number or comic book issue number – that gives collectors something to aim for when getting a complete set.

Can you talk us through the process of securing these games? Is it as much like detective work as it sounds?!
It can be! Sometimes it’s very easy and a company can approach you with their games and a deal is struck. Sometimes it’s not just split ownership of the game between different parties, but that particular version of the game might be owned by someone entirely different. Luckily, we are able to do great amounts of research in this day and age, and property holders are now reconnecting with their legal rights to their historic releases. It’s really a right place, right time scenario.

Are you interested in bringing classic licensed titles to Evercade? Do any licensed games come to mind as being on the ‘hit list’? Aladdin on the SNES was a firm favourite!
We are always interested in licenses and things that are able to be released. We’d love to work with Disney’s catalogue now that includes Star Wars and some of the best platformers of the Nineties. And how can you not love Aladdin? There are many great licensed properties out there that are beginning to become more available. Films, classic game franchises and even sports games. We’re always open to conversations with IP owners.

Before we wrap up, you mentioned the Evercade Alpha earlier? What opportunities does this line present you – and partners?
One of the biggest things we’ve always been asked about is arcade. First it was games, then it was arcade machines. We managed to deliver the games starting in 2021, and more are coming even now, but an arcade machine is something that we’ve always contemplated – and the time was right!

It’s a nice bartop sized design that could work for multiple house sizes and set ups, and we have the right games with our partnership with Capcom. It opens a new area for us in both customers and retailers, and more opportunities in our existing markets, which continue to grow.

Like all our products though, the concept is the same – nostalgia and simplicity. The carts are simple and work with no setup. The Alpha has great games included and the ability to expand your selection with our carts. And the look, feel and sensation of playing the Alpha and inserting a cartridge will bring all that nostalgia right back to you.

Thanks again Andrew.