'High-Tech' Atari Hotel With Esports Venue and Creator Studios Breaks Ground in Phoenix

Atari Hotels has officially broken ground in Phoenix, Arizona, with construction planned to complete in late 2028 to early 2029 for what could be the US’s next premier esports venue.

First announced all the way back in January 2020, Atari Hotels promises to bring a combination of cutting-edge technology, first-of-its-kind entertainment, and hospitality to guests in the United States, with its first project now underway.

As told in a press release shared with IGN, groundbreaking will commence this week in Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row. The hotel is expected to feature “high-tech guest rooms,” creator studios, and an esports and concert venue that can house more than two thousand attendees, along with a sportsbook, “layers of immersive bars,” shopping, “immersive experiences,” and restaurants.

Currently, construction is in Phase One, which will demo the building currently on the property and begin work to lay the new hotel’s foundation. Phase Two will begin shortly after this is done. (Among its partners and celebrity investors is, oddly, FaZe Adapt, as well as American professional wrestler Henry Cejudo.)

“We’re pressing ‘start’ on Atari Hotels’ Phoenix property, bringing our vision for the first-of-its-kind venue closer to reality,” Jordan Taylor, a Partner at Intersection Development, said in a statement. “The opportunity to build an interactive venue like this in our hometown with an incredible partner like Atari is a privilege, and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone with the community as we break ground.”

“We’re excited to see construction begin on the Atari Hotel and believe in Intersection Development’s vision to create something that speaks to gaming as a consistent pillar of pop culture,” Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari, added. “This project puts the Atari brand at the heart of a brand-new entertainment experience for fans, tourists, and Phoenix locals.”

The Atari Hotel is being designed by räkkhaus, which describes itself as an “an avant-garde architecture studio that embodies the fusion of love, form, and revolution.” Given that it's licensed by Atari, the hotel will combine gaming and hospitality with hopes to “capitalize on the growing intersection of gaming, sports, entertainment, and pop culture.”

The first concept art for the property made its way online in October 2020, showing a Cyberpunk exterior that looked like something straight out of Night City. This planned version of the hotel was shaped like the Atari logo, with the artwork showing off futuristic statues of robots and bright neon lighting. Newer images paint a different picture, though, and one that looks more appropriate for this time period.

This is almost as neat as the two Dragon Ball theme parks that are planned to be built in France and Qiddiya City. Concept art for the first park, shared in 2024, shows a giant Shenron statue on an island in the middle of a massive pond, with other areas seemingly taken straight out of the show.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze .