Razer Inc.

Razer Inc. (stylized as R Λ Z Ξ R), is a Singaporean-American multinational technology company that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, financial services, and gaming hardware. Founded by Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff, it is headquartered in Queenstown, Singapore and Irvine, California, US.[3]

"RZR" redirects here. For the airport with the FAA location identifier RZR, see Cleveland Regional Jetport.
Razer Inc.
TypePublic
SEHK: 1337
ISINKYG7397A1067
Industry
FoundedJanuary 2, 1998 (1998-01-02)
Founders
Headquarters
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsList of products
Number of employees
1,451[2] (2019)
Subsidiaries
Websiterazer.com

History

Founded in Singapore, Razer began as a subsidiary of kärna LLC in 1998, created to develop and market a high-end computer gaming mouse, the Boomslang, targeted to computer gamers. Kärna ceased operations in 2000 due to financial issues. The current iteration of Razer was founded in 2005 by Min-Liang Tan, a Singaporean NUS graduate,[3] and Robert Krakoff after they procured the rights to the Razer brand following a large investment from Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing and Singaporean holding company Temasek Holdings.[4][5]

Razer bought the software assets of the Android-based microconsole Ouya from its parent company Ouya Inc. on 27 July 2015, while the hardware was discontinued.[6][7] Ouya's technical team joined Razer's team in developing their own microconsole, which was called the Forge TV. This was also discontinued, less than a year later.[8][9][10][11] On 21 May 2019, Razer released a statement that announced that 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 like Google Play, if developers and publishers agree to such.[12]

In October 2016, Razer purchased THX from Creative Technology according to THX CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor.[13]

In January 2017, Razer bought manufacturer Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone.[14] Shortly after in November that, Razer unveiled the Razer Phone, its first smartphone whose design is based on that of the Robin.[15] They announced the Razer Phone 2 in October 2018.[16]

In July 2017, Razer filed to go public through an IPO in Hong Kong.[17] In October of the same year, it was confirmed that Razer plans to offer 1,063,600,000 shares at a range of $0.38-$0.51.[18] On 14 November, Razer was officially listed on Hong Kong stock exchange under the stock code 1337, a reference to leet speak commonly used by gamers.[19] Razer's IPO closed 18% up on the first day of trading and was the 2nd most successful IPO of 2017 in Hong Kong.[20]

In April 2018, Razer announced that it was planning to fully acquire the e-payments platform MOL for about $61 million.[21]

In July 2018, Razer made its debut in Malaysia by launching an e-wallet service called Razer Pay.[22]

In February 2019, Razer announced it was closing its Razer Game Store as part of the company's realignment plans.[23]

In October 2020, Razer announced it was launching a new virtual prepaid debit card starting with its home country Singapore in January 2021.[24][25]

In February 2021, CEO Tan Min-Liang announced that Razer's new larger Singapore headquarters which will cater to Asia-Pacific operations will open in the second quarter of 2021.[26] Razer plans to hire up to 1,000 positions for the new headquarters.[27]

Products
Main article: List of Razer products

Razer's products are generally targeted at gamers, and include gaming laptops, gaming tablets, and PC peripherals such as mice, audio devices, keyboards, mouse mats, and game pads. Razer has also released a VOIP software called Razer Comms. The Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse is the company's most popular product by sales numbers. Razer mice are used by around 5% of professional gamers.[28] Most Razer products are named after predatory or venomous animals, ranging from snakes (mice), insects (mouse mats), arachnids (keyboards), marine creatures (audio), and felines (console peripherals). The exceptions to this are the Razer Blade laptops and Razer Edge, which are instead named after bladed objects. Razer announced its first gaming smartphone, the Razer Phone, in November 2017, which marked the company's first steps into the smartphone business.[29]

In January 2021, Razer launched a range of high-grade designer masks as part of the company's initiative, Project Hazel, in a move to encourage more people to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[30] The mask is designed to allow lip-reading and seeing facial cues when people talk, with LED lights to illuminate the wearer's face in dark environments.[31]

See also

References
  1. Sinclair, Brendan (9 January 2020). "Razer closing SF office". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  2. "Razer Inc.: Private Company Information". www.bloomberg.com. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  3. "About Razer". www.razer.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017.
  4. "Razer CEO to Become a Billionaire With Li Ka-shing Backing". Bloomberg.com. 31 October 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  5. "About Razer: History". Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  6. "So long, Ouya! Razer acquires microconsole's storefront, technical team". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  7. "Razer Confirms Acquisition Of Ouya's Software, Tech And Dev Teams In All-Cash Deal". TechCrunch. AOL. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  8. "Razer Forge TV - Android™ Gaming in Your Living Room". Razer. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  9. "Razer CEO talks OUYA, Forge TV and upcoming game streaming service in AMA". Android Central. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  10. Brian Crecente. "This is why Razer bought Ouya (Hint: China)". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  11. "Razer Acquires OUYA Software Assets - Razer™ - For Gamers. By Gamers.™". Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  12. Welch, Chris (22 May 2019). "Ouya will be shut down for good on June 25th". The Verge. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  13. A New Beginning for THX: Why I Sold My Company in My First Year Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine - Medium, 17 October 2016
  14. Lunden, Ingrid (31 January 2017). "Razer acquires Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone". TechCrunch.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  15. "Razer Phone Reviews and Specs". Time. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
  16. "RAZER PHONE 2 – FLAGSHIP // GAMING – Razer Press". Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  17. "Gaming firm Razer seeks to raise over $600M in Hong Kong IPO". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  18. "Gaming accessories firm Razer to raise up to $550M in Hong Kong IPO". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  19. Chan, Melissa. "Razer Is Officially A Public Company, And You Can Now Buy More Than Just A Mouse". Vulcan Post. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  20. "Razer rises in debut after raising 530 million in Hong Kong IPO". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
  21. "Razer to buy out e-payments platform MOL for S$81m". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  22. "Razer Pay launches in Malaysia". The Straits Times. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  23. "Razer Game Store (gamestore.razer.com) will cease operations". Razer Game Store. 1 February 2019. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  24. Lyles, Taylor (6 October 2020). "Of course Razer made a light-up prepaid credit card". The Verge. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  25. "Razer to launch prepaid debit card for youth in January". BEAMSTART - Business Community, Resources, & Opportunities. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  26. Anne, Melissa. "Razer to open new headquarters in Singapore in Q2 2021 - MEGPlay". Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  27. Salim, Zafirah (1 February 2021). "Razer To Hire About 1,000 Roles For New SEA HQ In S'pore, Which Is Set To Open In Q2 2021". Vulcan Post. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  28. "The Best Mouse for Gaming". GmrPC.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  29. Savov, Vlad (1 November 2017). "Razer Phone announced with huge bezels, no headphone jack, and dubious gamer cred". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  30. "Project Hazel; Razer creates the smartest mask with RGB & voice projection - News Asia Today". Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  31. Faulkner, Cameron (12 January 2021). "Razer has created a concept N95 mask with RGB and voice projection". The Verge. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
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