Atari is dead and feels like a company grasping at straws. A shell of its former self and with less cultural impact than a disgraced politician, the company is branching out into the hotel business. One might say the people holding the Atari name are whoring it out to make back their investment.
But Atari won’t be building the hotels as they have only signed a deal see them license their name and branding to a real estate developer. The current plan is to build eight hotels across the United States in some major hubs, although Los Angeles doesn’t seem to be in the cards at this time.
The first hotel will break ground in the gaming capital of the world… Phoenix, Arizona. Okay, so maybe not the best choice for a location to draw gamers to but Atari has never been one to make the correct moves (see: Jaguar, the new console, those weird speaker hats).
Other cities on the block for their own Atari hotel include Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. These hotels will include what they are calling the “Atari gaming playground.” No idea what that might be but word is that these locations will feature their own eSports studios.
While silly, the idea of eSports hotels does hold potential. With so many competitions happening all over the country, there is potential for a hotel chain to pop up catering to that demo. We could see tournaments popping up at these hotels, or even having them rented out by teams on the road as eSports continues to grow.
About Author
