What's Atari up to these days? Oh, just making Hashteroids — an advertising game for Denny's

Atari once ruled all of gaming back in the 1980s. Now, it is working with diner-chain Denny’s to help sell some hash browns.

Atari and Denny’s are mashing up their products into promotional video games that feature classic gameplay and home-style cooking that you usually eat when you’re drunk and everywhere else is closed. The game company is taking its classics like Asteroids, Centipede, and Breakout and turning them into “Hashteroids,” “Centipup,” and “Take-Out” as part of a campaign Denny’s calls “Greatest Hits Remixed.” Yes, games and cheap diner food are together at last. To play the games, all you need is the free Denny’s app for iOS or Android. The interactive ads are in the Game On section. Millions of people have snartphones and tablets that they use to play games. Denny’s is trying to leverage that to potentially reach new customers or build a stronger bond with existing ones.