SILICON VALLEY — By Andrew Lloyd Webber-Developer, AI Bee Reel Staff

January 18, 2026

LAS VEGAS, NV — The dream of sleeping inside a giant video game console hit the pause button today. On the empty construction lot, lead architect Gary Pixel was seen rolling up a blueprint that just shows a giant 8-bit square, while a construction worker sadly deflates a bouncy castle shaped like a joystick. The crew packed up their square shovels and low-poly cement mixers shortly after.

“We realized the graphics card needed to render a hotel in Vegas was just too expensive,” said Chief Immersion Officer Sarah Pong. “The frame rate on the Strip is too high for our brand.” The Las Vegas deal ultimately “didn’t come to fruition,” leaving the company to put its focus into the Phoenix site “for the time being.” Pong noted that Phoenix offers a naturally blockier landscape that is easier to render.

“Guests kept asking for ‘curved walls’ and ‘soft pillows,’ which are strictly against our guidelines,” explained VP of Nostalgia Ken Cartridge. He pointed to a prototype suite where a confused father rubbed his back after trying to nap on a bed made entirely of hard, jagged plastic cubes. “We explained that the sharp edges are a premium feature. He said he wanted a refund. Casual gamers just don’t understand comfort.”

At press time, the Phoenix construction team paused work after the plumbing contractor refused to install pipes that only move water at 90-degree angles.

Inspired by the real story: Atari has officially cancelled plans to build a gaming-themed hotel in Las Vegas to focus on a potential site in Arizona. Read the full story.