Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, co-founder of Razer and a pioneer in the gaming mouse, has died at the age of 81.
Krakoff died on April 26, 2022, and Razer shared a message on Twitter announcing the sad news.
“We are saddened by the passing of co-founder and president emeritus, Robert Krakoff, known by all as RazerGuy,” Razer wrote. “Robert’s unwavering drive and passion for gaming lives on and continues to inspire us all. Thank you Rob, you will be missed.”
We are saddened by the passing of co-founder and president emeritus, Robert Krakoff, known by everyone as RazerGuy. Robert’s unwavering drive and passion for gaming lives on and continues to inspire us all.
Thank you Rob, you will be missed. pic.twitter.com/2HKNcFaOj2
– R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) April 28, 2022
As reported by The Verge, Krakoff was instrumental in bringing the first gaming mouse – the Razer Boomslang – to market in 1999. Krakoff was working for Kärna at the time, a company that invented an “opto-mechanical coding wheel that could track a mouse’s movements at 2000 dpi, much higher resolution than other mice at that time. “
Krakoff did not create the Razer Boomslang, but was a key figure in making it happen with a marketing agency called Fitch, which essentially kickstarted the Razer brand we know today. This includes the name, the three-headed snake logo, the website, the packaging and the design and construction of the Boomslang mouse.
Kärna went bankrupt in 2001, and Krakoff would continue to co-found Razer with Razer’s current CEO Min-Lian Tan in 2005.
At Razer, Krakoff would become the public face of the company and would not only include a message from RazerGuy with Razer products, but he also added his email to the note. He was also known for having interviews with upcoming journalists and would even give some of them jobs.
After his time at Razer, he wanted to start a company called MindFX Science, which focused on energy drinks and supplements in hopes of selling a “healthy alternative to the highly caffeinated energy drinks and products before training.”
He was also a published author under the name RM Krakoff, and has written a dozen books since 2009, ranging from fiction to non-fiction.
Krakoff leaves behind his wife, Dr. Patsi Krakoff, their two children, Scott and Robin, and five “very cool” grandchildren.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Rich.