Why Is Called ‘Resident Evil’? Inside the Title’s History

In a 2009 interview with GamesRadar Plus, then-Senior Director of Capcom U.S. Communications and Community Chris Kramer mentioned that it would be “next to impossible” for Capcom to trademark the English translation of the Japanese title in the U.S.

“As an example, I pointed out that a crappy DOS-based game had just come out in the U.S. called Biohazard … and that we’d never be able to secure the mark,” Chris told GamesRadar Plus. “As a result, the head of marketing held a company-wide contest to come up with a new name for the game.”