One of the key figures in the creation of the gaming mouse recently passed away.
According to a report from The Verge, Razer co-founder and former president Robert Krakoff died on April 26. He left behind his wife, Dr. Patsi Krakoff, their children, Scott and Robin, and their five "very cool" grandchildren, per IGN.
He was 81 years old.
Robert Krakoff Death Details
The Gamer's report mentioned that Krakoff's family didn't reveal any details regarding his death. However, it is highly possible that the former Razer president died due to his old age.
The news came directly from Razer through a post on the company's official Twitter account on April 28. Razer posted a picture of its co-founder with the caption "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 all of us."
Razer then expressed its gratitude for Krakoff's contribution, adding that he "will be missed."
Robert Krakoff: Who Was He?
You probably may not be aware of who Robert Krakoff is, but to gamers the world over, his contribution to the gaming industry cannot be overstated.
Krakoff was one of the key figures in the creation of the first-ever gaming mouse, the Razer Boomslang, in 1999. Razer, as a company, didn't exist yet at this time, and the Razer name was made under Kärna, a company that invented an "opto-mechanical encoding wheel that could track a mouse's movements at 2000 dpi, far higher resolution than other mice at the time."
According to Eurogamer, the Razer Boomslang was a mouse specifically made with gamers in mind; it is the equivalent of a Ferrari at the time of its release, along with a price that proportionally matches one.
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Kärna was Krakoff's workplace before Razer. It also went bankrupt in 2001, which led Krakoff to found Razer with current CEO, Min-Lian Tan, in 2005. He would alter become Razer's poster boy and public face; he includes messages from Razerguy with Razer products, which also comes with his email.
This email address wasn;t just for show. Krakoff actually responds to fans and give interviews to lesser-known journalists, along with giving them jobs. He also wanted to have a mouse made for left-handed users, but wasn't able to as he didn't have the power to make it happen. However, he eventually was able to convince the board, with Razer would release the first left-handed mouse in March 2010.
Krakoff would alter leave Razer but still advised the company as a "President Emeritus," or an honorary president. During his post-Razer life, he founded MindFX Science, a brand focusing on selling energy drinks and supplements which are said to be as "a healthy alternative to the highly caffeniated energy drinks and pre-workout products."
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