Resident Evil is a video game franchise that has also expanded to the media that Capcom has owned since the very first launch. Since the year 1996 when it made its debut, it has steadily been gaining in popularity, as the horror-themed plots keep gamers at the edge of their seats.
The Game’s History
Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara created this franchise for the first PlayStation, but it was released in Japan under the name of Biohazard. Since the very beginning, the franchise revolved around zombie-style monsters created by an evil pharmaceutical company called Umbrella Corporation
After finding out that there would be legal issues in the USA if they tried to use the name Biohazard, the company asked its personnel for name suggestions. After Resident Evil was picked, this first edition has pioneering the survival horror genre and it amassed such success that was followed by two other titles.
Resident Evil 2 was released 5 years after the first version, but Resident Evil 3: Nemesis quickly followed it in 1999. This is when Capcom started to released ports for Microsoft Windows, after which Resident Evil – Code Veronica was released for Dreamcast. The series was never included in PlayStation 2, as the creator stuck with Game Cube.
Since then, the game has been launched for several consoles including the latest PS5, which will see gamers play Resident Evil Village in the year 2021. Over the course of less than two decades, the franchise has released 26 titles, between original ones, remakes and special editions for new consoles.
Expanding to Other Media
The video game series made it to the big screen when the live-action films were created, with the protagonist Alice becoming a well-known face among fans everywhere. The critics have not been kind to the Resident Evil movie series, but the fans have enjoyed it more every time, as it has earned more than $1 billion.
Although the franchise holds the record of success for film adaptations of a video game, this has not been enough for the creators, who have announced that a TV series will be made. Netflix will produce it and already 8 episodes have been approved so far, all produced under the familiar hands of Constantin Film.
Merchandise
There have been several companies interested in getting the Resident Evil license and creating original lines of action figures and models inspired by the franchise. Some of the most important companies are NECA, Toy Biz, Hot Toys, and there are also the replicas made by Rokyo Marui of the guns used throughout the series.
Resident Evil is a monster gaming franchise that has successfully crossed over continents and media, producing top-quality games and films. They show no signs of slowing down and it still remains to be seen how the Netflix series will work out with fans everywhere and high expectations.