Dead or Alive (video game)

Dead or Alive
European arcade flyer featuring Leifang (background), Tina (left), Gen Fu (center), and Jann Lee (right)
Developer(s)	Tecmo Creative #3
Publisher(s)	WW: Tecmo EU: Acclaim (Arcade) EU: Sony Computer Entertainment (PS1)
Director(s)	Tomonobu Itagaki Katsunori Ehara Takeshi Kawaguchi
Producer(s)	Tomonobu Itagaki Yujin Rikimaru Yutaka Koga
Designer(s)	Motohiro Shiga Jun Hasunuma
Writer(s)	"Asamin"
Composer(s)	Makoto Hosoi
Series	Dead or Alive
Platform(s)	Arcade Sega Saturn PlayStation
Release	Arcade WW: November 26, 1996[1][2] JP: October 16, 1998 (++) Sega Saturn JP: October 10, 1997 PlayStation JP: March 12, 1998 NA: March 31, 1998 EU: July 1, 1998
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system	Sega Model 2 Sony ZN-1 (++)

Dead or Alive (Japanese: デッドオアアライブ, Hepburn: Deddo oa Araibu, abbreviated as DOA) is a 1996 fighting game developed and published by Tecmo for arcades. It is the first entry in the Dead or Alive series. Built on the Sega Model 2 hardware, it was released first in arcades in 1996, followed by home ports for the Sega Saturn in Japan during 1997, and for the PlayStation in all regions during 1998.

Developed by Tecmo's in-house Team Ninja, led by Tomonobu Itagaki, Dead or Alive capitalized on the success of Sega's Virtua Fighter series at the time and takes influence from it while adding unique gameplay elements of its own. Dead or Alive was well-praised for its fighting system and advanced graphics. The game also attracted attention for its presentation, which was more provocative than other mainstream 3D fighting games at the time.

Dead or Alive was a commercial success, helping Tecmo overcome their financial problems and turn the series into a franchise, including several sequels and numerous spin-offs. An enhanced version of the original game was included in Dead or Alive Ultimate for Xbox in 2004. The game was followed by its first sequel, Dead or Alive 2 in 1999.