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Razer Inc.

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This article is about the technology company. For other uses, seeRazer (disambiguation).

Razer Inc.
Native name
Razer /Lôi xà
Company typePrivate
SEHK:1337
ISINKYG7397A1067
Industry
Founded1998;26 years ago(1998)
Founders
Headquarters
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsLaptops,peripherals,consoles,software
RevenueIncreaseUS$1.62 billion(2021[2])
Number of employees
1,576[3](2024)
Subsidiaries
Websiterazer
Razergaming headsetsand keyboard

Razer Inc.(stylized asR Λ Z Ξ R) is an American-Singaporean[4][5][6]multinational corporationandtechnology companythat makes, develops and sellsconsumer electronics,financial services,and gaminghardware.The brand was founded in 1998, then refounded in 2005[7]byMin-Liang Tanand Robert "RazerGuy" Krakoff, although the business originated in 1999 in the US. It is dual headquartered in theone-northsubzone ofQueenstown, Singapore,andIrvine, California,US.[8]

Origin

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Razer began as aSan Diego,California-based subsidiary of kärna LLC in 1998, which was created to develop and market a high-end computer gaming mouse, the Boomslang, targeted to computer gamers. Kärna was shut down in 2000 due to bankruptcy. The current iteration of Razer was founded in 2005 by Min-Liang Tan, a SingaporeanNUSgraduate,[8]and Robert Krakoff after they procured the rights to the Razer brand following a large investment from Hong Kong tycoonLi Ka-shingand Singaporean holding companyTemasek Holdings.[9][10]

Razer bought the software assets of theAndroid-basedmicroconsoleOuyafrom its parent company Ouya Inc. on 27 July 2015, while the hardware was discontinued.[11][12]Ouya's technical team joined Razer's team in developing their ownmicroconsole,which was called the Forge TV.[13]It was discontinued in 2016.[14][15][16][17]

According to THX CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor, Razer purchasedTHXfromCreative Technologyin October 2016.[18]

In January 2017, Razer bought manufacturerNextbit,the startup behind theRobin smartphone.[19]Shortly after in November that, Razer unveiled theRazer Phone,its firstsmartphonewhose design is based on that of the Robin.[20]

In July 2017, Razer filed to go public through an IPO in Hong Kong.[21]In October, it was confirmed that Razer plans to offer 1,063,600,000 shares at a range of $0.38–$0.51.[22]On 14 November, Razer was officially listed onHong Kong stock exchangeunder the stock code 1337, a reference toleetspeak commonly used by gamers.[23]Razer's IPO closed 18% up on the first day of trading and was the 2nd most successful IPO of 2017 in Hong Kong.[24]

In April 2018, Razer announced that it was planning to fully acquire the e-payments platform MOL for about $61 million.[25]In July, Razer made its debut inMalaysiaby launching ane-walletservice called Razer Pay.[26]They also announced the Razer Phone 2 in October.[27]

On 21 December 2018, Razer announced its new seven-storey South-east Asia headquarters in theone-northsubzone ofQueenstown, Singapore.The building was expected to be ready by 2020, with Boustead Projects' joint venture firm constructing it. The exterior would be lit with LED strips representing a central processing unit in operation.[28]Razer held its ground-breaking ceremony on 22 February 2019, with a new digital real estate start-up called Echo Base launched the same day. 600 more staff were planned over the next few years, adding to the 400 staff based then. The first smart city project in the region would be developed soon.[29][30][31]

In February 2019, Razer announced it was closing its Razer Game Store as part of the company's realignment plans.[32]

On 21 May 2019, Razer released a statement that announced that Ouya online accounts and services would be discontinued on 25 June 2019. According to Razer, most apps will become unusable on the platform, many relying on the user accounts to work. Razer suggests that users may be able to transfer purchases to other storefront platforms likeGoogle Playif developers and publishers agree to such.[33]

In May 2020, Razer announced the Razer Health initiative, sponsoring high-quality certifiedsurgical masksto governments, healthcare organizations, and individuals around the world.[34]

In October 2020, Razer announced it was launching a new virtualprepaid debit cardstarting with Singapore in January 2021.[35][36]

In 2021, Razer announced the shutting down of Razer Pay (Beta) e-wallet in Malaysia and Singapore.[37]

In February 2021, CEOTan Min-Liangannounced that Razer will move its Singapore headquarters to a much larger building that would open in the second quarter of 2021.[38]Razer planned to hire up to 1,000 positions for the new headquarters.[39]The headquarters officially opened on 26 October 2021, which was officiated byDeputy Prime Minister of SingaporeHeng Swee Keatat the ceremony. The building consisted of a "RazerStore" and a "RazerCafe".[40]

On 26 April 2022, cofounder Robert Krakoff died.[41]As of 12 May 2022, no cause of death has been confirmed from the company or his family.[42]

In May 2022, Razer delisted from theHong Kong Stock Exchange.[43]

Products

[edit]

Razer's products are generally targeted atgamersand includegaming laptops,gaming tablets,and PC peripherals such asmice(e.g.Razer Naga), audio devices,keyboards,mouse mats,andgamepads.Most Razer products are named after predatory or venomous animals, ranging fromsnakes(mice),insects(mouse mats),arachnids(keyboards),marine creatures(audio), andfelines(consoleperipherals). The exceptions to this are the Razer Blade series of laptops and Razer Edge, which are instead named after bladed objects.[citation needed]Razer has also released aVOIP softwarecalled Razer Comms.[citation needed]

The Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse is the company's most popular product by sales numbers.[citation needed]Razer mice are used by around 8% ofprofessionalfirst-person shootergamers.[44]In 2021, Razer introduces new 8 kHz "HyperPolling" technology to power the Razer Viper 8K.[45]

Razer announced its first gamingsmartphone,theRazer Phone,in November 2017, which marked the company's first steps into the smartphone business.[46]

In 2020, it launched the Razer Book, its first "mainstream" non-gaminglaptop.[47]In April 2022, Razer partnered with thedeep learningcompany Lambda to launch its firstLinuxoriented laptop, Tensorbook, which targetedmachine learningengineers.[48]

In January 2021, Razer launched a range of high-grade designermasksas part of the company's initiative, Project Hazel, in a move to encourage more people to wear masks due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6][49]The mask is designed to allow lip-reading by seeing facial cues when people talk, withLEDlights to illuminate the wearer's face in dark environments.[50]Project Hazel was later launched, renamed as the Zephyr in October 2021[51]as anN95rated mask. However, it was discovered later in that year that it wasn't N95 rated; this caused them to update the language used in the page to saying that they are not N95 certified.[52]In April 2024, a proposed settlement was announced by theFederal Trade Commission(FTC) that would require Razer to issue over $1.1 million in refunds to customers who purchased Zephyr masks, which the FTC alleges Razer made misleading statements about and failed to have tested by either theFood and Drug Administrationor theNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.[53]

In 2021, it also entered thegaming chairmarket with the Iskur, an in-house designed chair for gaming.[54]Subsequently, they introduced the Enki, a chair marketed for "all day gaming" and comfort.[55]

In 2024, Razer introduced a new Razer Blade gaming laptop, which is the first gaming laptop to useThunderbolt 5,an interface faster than its predecessor, Thunderbolt 4.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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