Atari has signed a licensing deal with US real estate developer True North Studio and GSD group to build eight hotels in the US. Construction will begin in Phoenix this year, with more hotels to come in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San J…

Hotels will be coming to eight cities
Image: Atari
Atari has licensed its name for a number of brand partnerships in the gaming space, but the companys latest deal to build eight Atari-branded hotels marks its foray into the hospitality industry. The company announced a licensing deal with US real estate developer True North Studio and GSD group to build eight hotels in the US. Construction will begin in Phoenix in mid-2020, with more hotels to come in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.
The video game-themed destination will offer gaming playgrounds that include VR and AR games, and some locations will have venues and studios to accommodate e-sports events. Atari says the hotels will have meeting rooms, co-working spaces, restaurants, bars, a bakery, a movie theater, and a gym. The company says itll be a destination for families and business travelers, which lends itself to a hilarious image of a businessman trying to print something in the meeting room while a Fortnite tournament happens in the next room.
Artist rendering of the hotel.
Image: Atari
Atari will receive 5 percent of hotel revenue, and it received a $600,000 advance for inking the deal. The hotel will be located close to Steve Wozniaks Woz U university campus in Arizona, which is also associated with the Phoenix-based GSD Group.
Meanwhile, the development of the Atari VCS retro console has been reported to be undergoing significant difficulties, with the consoles lead architect claiming that he hadnt been paid in over six months. If Atari, a gaming company, is having this much trouble with building a game console, it paints a troubling picture of how the hotels will turn out.