Razer co-founder Robert ‘Razerguy’ Krakoff – known as gaming mouse pioneer – dies at 81

Razer co-founder and former president Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff has died aged 81. The gaming mouse pioneer began its journey with gaming peripherals in 1996. Razer became a standalone entity in 2005 – years after operating as a subsidiary of Diego, CA-based San Kärna. The company’s first flagship – the Razer Boomslang, which is considered the world’s first gaming mouse – helped Krakoff gain huge popularity among PC gamers. Since then, Razer has become a household name in the gaming world and caters to the growing audience in the global esports market.

Last week, Razer announced Krakoff’s death via its official social media channels. The company said that “the executive’s unwavering drive and passion for the game endures and continues to inspire us all.”

Born on October 4, 1940, Krakoff rose to popularity in the gaming world when he officially launched the Razer Boomslang under the Kärna subsidiary in 1999. The mouse had helped Razer catch the attention of young gamers who were looking to have a sensitivity and a high precision.

Razer did not start operations as a company and was a brand under Kärna. However, as the California-based company had to cease operations in 2000 due to financial constraints and went bankrupt in 2001, Krakoff co-founded Razer as a separate entity with Singaporean NUS graduate Min-Liang Tan in 2005. .

According to a case study available on the web, neither Krakoff nor Tan invented the Razer Boomslang. Rather, it was a creation of a marketing agency named Fitch which also created the Razer brand as well as its three-headed snake logo. Razer itself credited Fitch for developing the mouse in its launch press release, as noted by The Verge.

Nonetheless, the Razer Boomslang became a household name among PC gamers of the era. The company even released Razer Boomslang Collector’s Edition along with two iterations of its Boomslang versions in 2003.

The Razer Boomslang was based on the mechanical form factor which included a bullet to operate the cursor. However, Razer switched to optical mice in 2004.

Krakoff was not only the co-founder of Razer, but also its face for online and offline promotions during its early years. The executive was featured in its advertising and appeared as “Razerguy” on the retail packaging of Razer devices.

Besides being an active part of the growing gaming industry, Krakoff was a fitness enthusiast. He created a blog with his wife, Dr. Patsi Krakoff, in which they covered fitness and nutrition content for seniors.

Krakoff was also an author — has written a list of books since 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile. Titles include dark comedy tale Die Laughing and action-adventure fiction The Aztlán Kid.

In 2001, Krakoff also co-founded the supplement company MindFX Science which is said to offer “mental performance enhancement” drinks for athletes, gamers and professionals.