Razer Inc.

1998–2005: Founding and early challenges

Razer began as a San 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 2001 due to bankruptcy.[5]

The current iteration of Razer was founded in 2005[6] by Min-Liang Tan, a Singaporean NUS graduate,[7] 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.[8][9]

2015–2016: Ouya acquisition and Forge TV

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.[10][11] Ouya's technical team joined Razer's team in developing its own microconsole, which was called the Forge TV.[12] It was discontinued in 2016.[13][14][15][16]

2016–2018: THX, Nextbit acquisition and expansions

According to THX CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor, Razer purchased THX from Creative Technology in October 2016.[17] Razer noted that THX's expertise in audio and visual quality would complement its own gaming-focused offerings, potentially expanding to areas like virtual reality and live streaming.[18]

In January 2017, Razer bought manufacturer Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone.[19] Shortly after in November that, Razer unveiled the Razer Phone, its first smartphone whose 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 on Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 1337, a reference to leet speak 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 in Malaysia by launching an e-wallet service called Razer Pay.[26] They also announced the Razer Phone 2 in October.[27]

On 21 December 2018, Razer announced its new seven-story South-east Asia headquarters in the one-north subzone of Queenstown, 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]

2019–2020: Razer Game Store closure and pandemic response

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 like Google Play if developers and publishers agree to such.[33]

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

In October 2020, Razer announced it was launching a new virtual prepaid debit card starting with Singapore in January 2021.[35][36]

2021–2025: New headquarters and delisting

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

In February 2021, CEO Tan Min-Liang announced 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 by the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Heng Swee Keat, at the ceremony. The building consisted of a "RazerStore" and a "RazerCafe".[40]

On 26 April 2022, Razer co-founder 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 the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[43]

On April 2, 2025, Razer halted sales of all laptops and certain accessories from its U.S. website.[44] This was the same day as the announcement of upcoming U.S. reciprocal tariffs.[45] As of April 8, 2025, Razer has not published an official statement regarding the sales halt and if it was related to the tariffs.[46]

In August 2025, Razer started the new AI Center of Excellence in Singapore and hired 150 people to fill AI-related roles at the center.[47] This is the first of three planned, with others being planned in Europe and the U.S.[48]

Razer Synapse

Razer Synapse is a tool that is pre-installed on laptops from Razer.[71] It can also be downloaded from Razer's website. With the software, several functions of Razer products can be set, such as RGB lighting, polling rate, DPI, key profiles, tracking distance, and more.