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Atari Levels Up Into The Austin Hotel Game

Atari/GSD Group
An artist's rendering of an Atari-themed hotel the company says will be coming to Austin and seven other cities.

Atari plans to open a video game-themed hotel in Austin.  

The company announced Monday it had partnered with Napoleon Smith III, the producer of the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies, and GSD Group, a branding and strategy firm, to open theme hotels in eight cities.

The first hotel will break ground in Phoenix this year. Atari also plans to build in Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle.

In a press release, the company promises “immersive experiences” for all ages and abilities. It says it will mix vintage games with the latest trends, like esports.

“When creating this brand-new hotel concept, we knew that Atari would be the perfect way to give guests the ‘nostalgic and retro meets modern’ look and feel we were going for,” Smith said in a statement.

The company did not announce a date for when the hotel would break ground in Austin or where.

Jimmy is the assistant program director, but still reports on business and sports every now and then. Got a tip? Email him at jmaas@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @maasdinero.