Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a third-person shooter video game based on the Resident Evil franchise. It takes place in September 1998, when an outbreak of the deadly T-virus has occurred in Raccoon City. To cover up the incident, Umbrella orders an elite team to eliminate any survivors and destroy all evidence of the virus. The US Government also sends its own team to investigate what happened. Players take control of a member of Umbrella's Security Services and fight against competing forces such as Bio-Organic Weapons (BOWs) and zombies while trying to complete their mission objectives. The game allows players to play both single player campaign mode or online with up to four players in co-op mode. Characters can gain new abilities and skills unique to them as they increase their experience level during gameplay. This high quality title was developed collaboratively by Capcom Japan development studios and an experienced Western multiplayer specialist studio.