When in late 1994 marketing executives were setting up to release Biohazard in the United States, it was pointed out that securing the rights to the name Biohazard would be very difficult as a DOS game had been registered under that name, as well as a New York hardcore punk band called Biohazard. The development of the first Resident Evil, released as Biohazard in Japan, began in 1993 when Capcom's Tokuro Fujiwara told Shinji Mikami and other co-workers to create a game using elements from Fujiwara's 1989 game Sweet Home. Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica It is the best-selling horror game series, in addition to the film adaptations being the highest-grossing live-action video game film series, making Resident Evil the highest-grossing franchise in the horror and zombie genres.

Resident Evil is Capcom's best-selling video game franchise, with 120 million units sold worldwide as of September 2021. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) moved the series to a first-person perspective. With Resident Evil 4 (2005), the franchise shifted to more dynamic shooting action it influenced the evolution of the survival horror and third-person genres, popularizing the 'over-the-shoulder' third-person view.

It is credited for defining the survival horror genre and returning zombies to popular culture. The first Resident Evil was created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara and released for the PlayStation in 1996. The franchise has expanded into a live-action film series, animated films, television series, comic books, novels, audio dramas, and other media and merchandise. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter, and first-person shooter games.

Resident Evil, known in Japan as Biohazard, is a Japanese horror video game series and media franchise created by Capcom.

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