Richard Tait, Cranium Board Game Co-Creator, Dead at 58

Richard Tait, the Seattle entrepreneur and former Microsoft executive who co-founded the popular board game Cranium, has died. Tait passed away at his Bainbridge Island, Washington home on Monday, July 25 from COVID-19 complications, his family confirmed. He was 58.

Tait’s passing was confirmed by his family in a social media post, per Comicbook.com. In the post, Tait’s family remembered him as “an incredible person and a bright light for so many,” adding that “this is a devastating loss for all of us and he will be greatly missed.” Tait’s son, Finn Tait, remembered his father as “a great dad,” sharing on TikTok that “it was like having Willy Wonka for a father. I love him very much and I’m going to miss him a lot.” On Instagram, Finn shared a photo of himself and his father, which he captioned, “I love you with my whole heart dad, I’m going to miss you so much.” According to his family, Tait died from “continued pulmonary complications due to COVID-19.”

After he sold his company to Hasbro, Richard Tait created a soccer-themed energy drink called Golazo — Spanish for “super goal” — but it did not find the same success as his first invention, the board game Cranium. https://t.co/6i69g5DKke

— NYT Obituaries (@NYTObits) August 14, 2022

“It is with great sadness that Valor Equity Partners announces the death of our colleague and friend Richard Tait,” Valor Equity Partners Co-President Jonathan Shulkin confirmed Tait’s passing, according to GeekWire. “Our Valor community, as well as the many people that worked with Richard over the years, mourn his passing. He will be greatly missed.”

Born in 1964, Tait got his start at Microsoft in July 1988. Throughout his 10-year career at the company, Tait helped pioneer client server computing in the company’s operating system division and ran the CD-ROM business with products like Encarta. After leaving Microsoft in 1998, Tait co-founded Cranium with fellow Microsoft executive Whit Alexander. Developed after he and Alexander were on vacation and couldn’t decide on which game to play, Cranium went on to sell 44 million copies and became the first board game sold by Barnes & Noble.

Cranium received hundreds of awards and received endorsements from the likes of Julia Roberts, Al Gore, and Bill Gates. In 2008, Tait and Alexander sold Cranium Inc. to Hasbro for over $77.5 million, with Tait going on to remain an entrepreneur. In the years since its creation, Cranium has remained a popular tabletop game, spawning dozens of variants and expansions. Amid news of his death, many fans of Cranium paid their respects, with one person tweeting, “Richard was a close friend and mentor, he was one of the kindest and sharpest people I have ever met. We miss you Richard.”