But with MAME comes a bunch of licensing implications for commercial use. 9000-in-one cabinets just flagrantly disregard these implications and I have encountered bars that sidestep these rules ("I'm not charging to use this machine at my bar, so it's practically personal use")

Still, it confounds me that the simultaneous rise of indie game devs and barcades hasn't led to an arcade renaissance yet. Niche games like Nidhogg and Black Emperor cost $6k for a cabinet. Killer Queen, oftentimes considered the cult-favorite of the scene, costs magnitudes more and puts off bar owners because the cabinet takes up so much floor space.

You'd think engineers could reduce those costs and developers could work out a royalty agreement that beats home sales on itch.io. To me it seems inevitable, but maybe there are just too many incumbents and bad actors in the arcade industry for such creativity to thrive.

Do you happen to remember the channel name or have a link? Would love to see some OG service videos.