Razer’s CEO waited 20 years for everyone to become a gamer. He says AI is finally making it happen

On a mild Friday afternoon, I sat across from a 5.5-inch-tall AI hologram, fidgeting as its creators prompted it to critique my fashion sense. Fortunately, I passed. “Your style is elegant and soft,” said Sumi, a female avatar with black-and-green hair. “That cream halter top looks really lovely on you, and your wavy hair gives a gentle, classic vibe.” I breathed a sigh of relief and sheepishly thanked Sumi for the compliment.

Sumi—and her male counterpart Nico—are virtual personalities that users can toggle between on Razer AVA, a desktop AI companion powered by xAI’s Grok. Each has a scripted backstory: Sumi is an illustrator from Tokyo who has a calico cat and enjoys “cozy gaming,” while Nico is a freelance engineer and skater living in downtown Los Angeles. Sumi is kind and warm, while Nico is more curt and to-the-point.

They’re some of the newest faces of Razer, a cult gaming hardware brand that’s now trying to become an AI company.

“AI is going to bring a new renaissance to all of gaming,” Min-Liang Tan, Razer’s co-founder and CEO, tells Fortune at the firm’s Singapore office. “Today, gaming is an industry worth hundreds of billions, and we believe that AI will make it a trillion-dollar one.”

The industry generated roughly $188.8 billion in revenue last year, serving over 3.5 billion players worldwide. Tan—who has spent two decades telling anyone who would listen that everyone would eventually become a gamer—is convinced AI is the force that finally gets gaming there. 

Tan’s route into the industry was sideways. A lawyer by training, he grew up an avid player of fantasy role-playing games like Ultima, the series created by game designer Richard Garriott in the 1980s.

“I would say I........

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