Decades ago, they were one of the pioneering video game companies, and now they have taken their gaming culture to a different level. Atari, one of the earliest top-notch gaming companies, has decided to diversify into hospitality and come up with a chain of video-game themed hotels.

Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including brands like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Pong, and RollerCoaster Tycoon.

If all goes according to plan, the first hotel is expected to start operations in 2022. Located in Las Vegas, it is being designed by Gensler, a global architecture firm. The neon-accented hotel is designed like Atari&rsquos A-shaped logo. It is expected to have 500 rooms.

According to the company, the hotels will offer &lsquofully immersive experiences for every age and gaming ability&rsquo, where guests will be able to enjoy the latest in virtual and augmented reality. Some of the attractions will include rooms inspired by great science fiction stories, restaurants and lounges that stimulate the senses, retro gaming and esports venues, etc.

In January 2020, the company announced a deal with GSD Group, a leading innovation and strategy agency. Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, were named as the locations where the first properties will come up, to be followed by hotels in Austin, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.

This year, Atari has entered into a separate deal with ICICB Group for the development of Atari branded hotels outside the US. According to reports, Dubai, Gibraltar, and Spain are likely to be the first countries to have Atari brand hotels.

It will be interesting to see how the hotel does. Gamers and Atari cult followers will surely be booking rooms for a dose of nostalgia. The game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 is known as the name behind the concept of the video arcade and pioneered modern video game industry

For details of hotel opening, follow Atari&rsquos website.