Wahab Khan 
Many people are unfamiliar with Krakoff’s name, though this far-reaching legacy has impacted almost everyone. Robert Krakoff, the former president of Razer – a gaming hardware company, died last week. The 81-year-old was also the co-founder of Razer and the pioneer of the Razer Boomslang – the first-ever gaming mouse.
Krakoff had a significant role in the foundation of the massive line-up of gaming mice, which perhaps inspired the whole gaming peripheral industry. In 2002, Robert Krakoff appeared in an ad to promote the Razer Boomslang mouse with Johnathan Wendel. The professional gamer, known as Fatal1ty, signed a momentous sponsorship deal with the Razer Company years before the word esports appeared in the dictionary.
The gaming hardware company of Razor is believed to have a more complicated and convoluted story than the most. It did not serve as a company until 2005; instead, it was a trademarked brand of Kärna, a business entity known for inventing the optomechanical encoding wheel. The said wheel could trace a mouse’s movements using 2000 dpi higher resolution than other mice. Needless to mention the first gaming mouse also rolled on wheels, although optical mice being in trend.
Kärna experienced bankruptcy in 2001 and couldn’t survive further. Karloff worked with Min-Liang Tan, the current CEO of Razor, to establish the company. The story reveals how Fitch, a marketing agency, created the Razer brand, named it, and developed the iconic snake logo, the packaging, and the website. Most importantly, how the engineering and design of the Boomslang mouse came into existence.
Even the first press release confirms the role of Fitch, Inc in the design for Kärna. However, it also mentions the general manager for Razer, Mr. Robert Krakoff, who became the face of the company and made an implausible impression on the public.
He responded to fans and sat down for interviews with inconsistent journalists with fewer following. He would even hire them. Krakoff was a journalism student at UCLA, but he obtained a football scholarship.
In 2009, Robert Krakoff told an unknown journalist that he was incredibly candid that the company did not need to sell any units of his Razer Mamba wireless mouse for $130. He wanted to inspire a massive audience of active gamers with creativity, knowing they would choose other low-cost mice and merchandise from the company.
Robert Krakoff wanted to make Razer a left-handed mouse, but he did not have presidential power to make it happen. The company’s board was not in the favor, believing that it did not make financial sense. However, users soon saw Razer releasing the first-ever left-handed gaming mouse.
Although Krakoff kept advising Razer as a President Emeritus, he also got busy in other acts. He was a founder of MindFX Science – a brand that aims to sell energy drinks and supplements. These products serve as a healthy substitute for highly caffeinated energy drinks and pre-training products.
Krakoff took fitness as a priority to live a healthy life. He loved biking, fitness training, and playing tennis. His wife was also known for running a blog focusing on nutrition and fitness for seniors.
