Unable to beat ‘insurmountable odds,’ this downtown Boise bar will close after 12 years

It’s game over for Spacebar Arcade.

After closing for nearly a year before relocating to a larger space nearby in 2023, the video-game bar at 620 W. Idaho St. will shutter permanently.

“Despite our best efforts,” co-owner Will Hay posted Friday on Facebook, “we were unable to overcome the insurmountable odds that were stacked against us.”

Spacebar Arcade’s last day will be Sunday.

In February, the downtown Boise gaming destination lost access to the liquor license it had leased. Open to customers 21 and older only, it attempted to remain in business by selling beer, wine and canned cocktails.

That put it in the same alcohol situation as Boise’s other classic arcade and bar, Realms, 109 S. 23rd St., which is open to all ages.

Spacebar Arcade first opened in 2012 at 200 N. Capitol Blvd.

This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 11:12 AM.

Michael Deeds

Idaho Statesman

208-377-6407

Michael Deeds is a long-serving entertainment reporter and opinion columnist at the Idaho Statesman, where he chronicles the Boise good life: restaurants, concerts, culture, cool stuff. He started as a summer intern after graduating from the University of Nebraska with a news-editorial journalism degree. Deeds’ prior Statesman roles have included sportswriter, music critic and features editor. His other writing has ranged from freelancing album reviews for The Washington Post to bragging about Boise in that inflight magazine you left on the plane.