Phil is joined by Steve Cottam, CEO and founder of Antstream Arcade, the service offering instant access to more than 1,300 officially licensed retro games.

Steve shares the story behind Antstream, his ambition to create a kind of "Spotify for retro games", and the challenges of licensing titles whose ownership can stretch back decades. The conversation also tackles physical versus digital preservation, introducing classic games to new generations, and why Antstream is looking beyond the past to indie and modern-retro games.

In this episode, we explore:

1️⃣ The story behind Antstream Arcade
How Steve turned an ambitious idea into a major retro game streaming service.

2️⃣ Physical vs digital
What does preservation really mean when cartridges, discs and hardware won't last forever?

3️⃣ The licensing puzzle
Why securing the rights to decades-old games can be surprisingly complicated.

4️⃣ Making old games feel new
How challenges and tournaments give classic titles a different way to be played.

5️⃣ Where retro gaming goes next
Antstream's plans for indie and modern-retro games – and bringing the classics to new generations.

Plus, Steve takes on our Games of Your Life, our regular feature where guests share the most influential games of their lives.

🔗 Guest links

Antstream Arcade – antstream.com

🎙️ Credits

Sponsored by Thalamus Digital Publishing
Production: Rocket Media
Voiceover: Mark Silk
Music: "8 Bit Skyway" © Piotr Pacyna

In this episode of Retro Titans, we head across the Atlantic to talk retro gaming, arcades, Evercade and the journey from lifelong gamer to YouTube creator.

Phil is joined by Andrew Bender, one half of the Ronnie and Andrew YouTube channel, which has built up a huge library of videos covering retro and modern gaming. Andrew talks about how the channel developed, what he has learned along the way, and why sharing his passion for games has become such an important part of the hobby.

Andrew's gaming story goes much further back. We explore his love of Falcom games, his experiences with the American arcade scene, collecting arcade hardware, and why the social experience of playing games in an arcade still has a magic that is difficult to recreate at home.

There's plenty of Evercade discussion too, including Andrew's approach to reviewing cartridges and discovering games he might otherwise never have played.

In this episode, we explore:

1️⃣ From gamer to YouTuber
How Andrew and his wife started creating gaming content, and the learning curve involved in building a channel with more than 600 videos.

2️⃣ Growing up with games and discovering the arcade
Andrew shares his gaming history and why arcades became such an important part of his passion for the hobby.

3️⃣ The magic of arcade hardware
From cabinets and fighting games to Neo Geo and pinball, we discuss what makes playing on original or dedicated hardware such a different experience.

4️⃣ Evercade, collecting and discovering old games
Why physical cartridges and curated collections appeal to Andrew, and how reviewing Evercade releases has introduced him to games from across gaming history.

5️⃣ Why retro gaming still matters
Andrew and Phil discuss nostalgia, collecting and the communities that continue to celebrate classic games and hardware.

🔗 Links

Roni and Andrew on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@GameOverRandA

Andrew's arcade tour (mentioned in the interview) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naT_bFW2a_0

🎙️ Credits

Sponsored by Thalamus Digital Publishing
Produced by Rocket Media
Voiceover by Mark Silk
Music: "8 Bit Skyway" © Piotr Pacyna

Today's episode is a replay of Season 1, Episode 1 with YouTuber Crazy Burger - recorded back in February 2024. So much has changed since we started Retro Titans. From resurgence of retro gaming and the evolution of Evercade to my own rediscovery of the games I loved. Looking back, I recorded this episode only four weeks into my Evercade journey. I'm slighly suprised by my bold brass to think I could make a podcast about something I knew barely anywayhing about. Hey ho, thankfully Crazy Burger made it easy for me. Since then, I've discovered so much more in retro and indie gaming, recorded over 50 episodes of Retro Titans, and made a load of friends in the process. So, while we wait for the fresh new episodes, thanks to everyone who's listened and supported Retro Titans so far.

Are you ready to play...?

Thanks

Phil

July 2026