To The Moon

You probably owned a Razer mouse or keyboard. The glowing RGB stuff that felt like pure gamer glory.

A decade ago, Razer was often viewed as the "Apple of gaming." Today, a growing number of gamers view the company as charging premium prices for products that are no longer clearly superior to competitors. This is more of a perception issue than a financial crisis, but it affects popularity

$Razer Inc.(RAZFF)$  

At its peak, Razer was a monster: $1.6 billion in revenue, $4.4 billion market cap, and one of the biggest IPOs in Hong Kong. Then they quietly delisted.

So… did they crash and burn?

Not exactly. Their story is way wilder.

Back in 2005, Razer had just come out of bankruptcy. Two unlikely guys bought the brand: lawyer Tan Min-Liang  and former NFL running back Robert Krakoff. They weren’t typical tech bros. They were just gamers who wanted one thing: a better mouse.

They nailed it with the DeathAdder. It felt perfect in your hand, had insane precision, and pros went crazy for it. Faker won three world championships with it. Over 20 million sold. Suddenly Razer was unstoppable.

Then came the BlackWidow mechanical keyboard in 2010. They didn’t invent mechanical switches, but they made them sexy for gamers. That iconic click became legendary.

Gaming laptops that actually looked cool. Optical switches that lasted forever. Razer wasn’t just selling gear — they were pushing the entire industry forward. “For Gamers. By Gamers.” actually meant something.

By 2016 they were doing $390 million in revenue. The 2017 IPO raised $528 million. Stock popped 42%. Life was good.

Then… things got weird.

Razer stopped acting like a hardware company and started acting like a chaotic lifestyle brand on a mission to try everything:

Gaming chairs (including a $1,300 Lamborghini collab)

A modular desk with a PC and giant OLED screen that never actually launched

Their own gaming console (killed quickly)

Bought THX (yes, that THX)

Launched a gaming smartphone… then basically quit phones

Turned an April Fools’ joke into a real energy drink and even gaming chewing gum

Started a fintech company with an e-wallet and a glowing credit card that lit up when you paid

Some of it actually worked. Their fintech business in Southeast Asia became massive. But to fans, it felt like Razer was doing literally anything except focusing on making great mice and keyboards.

COVID gave them a massive lifeline. Everyone was stuck home gaming. Revenue hit $1.62 billion in 2021. They finally turned profitable.

Then they delisted from the stock exchange.

After that? Reality hit hard.

Revenue stalled. Profits collapsed over 90%. They pulled laptops from U.S. stores. Component prices (thanks to AI demand) went crazy. Online sales dropped. 2026 projections looked ugly.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get more random… in 2026 Razer announced Project AVA — a 3D holographic AI desk companion powered by xAI’s Grok, basically an esports coach hologram.

Fans were not impressed.

Razer had one of the most beloved, high-quality gaming brands on the planet. They had trust. They had soul.

But somewhere along the way, they got distracted chasing every shiny object instead of doubling down on what made them great.

The brand that once felt rebellious and focused now feels… scattered.

Many users report issues such as:

Mouse scroll wheels failing

Double-click problems

Keyboard key chatter

Battery swelling in older laptops

Laptop hardware failures

While not every customer experiences these issues, complaints about durability appear frequently in gaming forums and Reddit discussions

Synapse software frustration

Razer Synapse remains one of the most criticized parts of the ecosystem. Users frequently complain about bugs, resource usage, device detection problems, and software-related peripheral issues. 

Customer support reputation

One of the biggest complaints isn't the hardware itself but the support experience. Some customers report long response times, repeated troubleshooting steps, and slow warranty resolutions

Now Logitech, Corsair, Keychron, and ASUS are eating their lunch by doing the simple thing Razer used to do best: make excellent products.

Razer is no longer the undisputed king of gaming peripherals. Gamers now expect premium quality, excellent software, and good customer support—and competitors have caught up.

Moral of the story?

Even the coolest brands can lose their way when they stop asking “Should we?” and only ask “Can we?”

What do you think — can Razer make a comeback, or is the magic gone?