LAS VEGAS (AP) — Atari, the arcade game company that ushered in the gaming revolution in the 1980s, is opening eight video game-themed hotels across the United States, including ones in Las Vegas and Phoenix.

The company said this week it will break ground on its first hotel later this year in Phoenix as it seeks to create a unique lodging experience combining the brand with a video game-themed destination.

“Atari Hotels level up hotel entertainment with fully immersive experiences for every age and gaming ability, including the latest in VR and AR (Virtual and Augmented Reality),” the company said in a statement. “Select hotels will also feature state-of-the-art venues and studios to accommodate esports events.”

Hotel development and design are being led by Shelly Murphy’s GSD Group and Napoleon Smith III, producer of the wildly successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film franchise reboot. True North Studio, a Phoenix real estate developer, will develop the first Atari-branded hotel.

“We are thrilled to partner with GSD Group and True North Studio to build the first-ever Atari branded hotels across the United States. Together we’ll build a space that will be much more than just a place to stay,” Fred Chesnais, CEO of Atari, said in a statement.

The company said Atari Hotels will turn “the origins of gaming and the future of the booming industry into a fun and unique travel destination.”

In addition to Las Vegas and Phoenix, new hotels are planned in Denver, Chicago, Austin, Texas, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, the company said. Timeline for hotels other than Phoenix were not released.

Founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, Atari became a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles and home computers. It’s known for such games as Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command.

The company is now based in Paris.

Documentary filmmaker and paranormal explorer Dakota Laden took an unforgettable road trip earlier this year when he hopped into an RV with his sister Chelsea and best friend Taylor to spend a night in 10 allegedly haunted abandoned locations to put each to the test. The result is “Destination Fear” – Travel Channel’s newest paranormal series, airing Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Laden says he’s been fascinated with the paranormal since he was a kid, when he and his sister experienced terrifying activity firsthand in their home. Beginning in 2008, he shot a series of experimental YouTube videos with friends, including a “Ghost Adventures” parody that actually landed him a stint on the show for two years.

On “Destination Fear,” we see the trio, accompanied only by a two-person camera crew, as they explore abandoned asylums, hospitals and penitentiaries – locations selected by Laden but not revealed to the rest of the group until shortly before their arrival. After an initial walkthrough, the trio splits up to spend the rest of the night alone and record what happens. I spoke with Laden, a native of Lakeville, Minnesota, for this interview from his current home in Las Vegas.