Rise of the Tomb Raider will be "pushing the boundaries" of the Xbox One

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Crystal Dynamics is working hard to ensure Rise of the Tomb Raider is a sight for sore (and bruised and stranded in the wilderness) eyes. Game director Brian Horton spoke appeared on the Game Informer podcast to talk all things Lara. Asked about the difference between the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of the game, Horton made some bold claims about what the Crystal Dynamics team were achieving.

"For us," Horton said, "we're not limited at all. We're pushing the boundaries for what the Xbox One can do."

As for how Rise of the Tomb Raider will push the Xbox One's boundaries, Horton talks about hub areas that are around three times the size of the ones featured in the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. He also talked up the game's hair. "Hair has always been important to Tomb Raider and the franchise," Horton said, sounding more serious than you might expect given the subject matter. "Now with the Xbox One and Rise of the Tomb Raider, we're bringing what we believe is the best hair in the industry. We can't wait to show you guys the improvements we've made to it."

Horton's comments could be misconstrued as the Xbox One already nearing its full potential. If Rise of the Tomb Raider really is pushing against its "boundaries," though, that says more about the software's optimisation – something development teams will continue to improve at over the course of the generation.

As for the PS4 and PC, Rise of the Tomb Raider's exclusivity was confirmed to be timed deal with Microsoft. Square Enix has yet to announce whether Lara's latest will cross over to other platforms after that deal has expired.

Phil Savage
Phil Savage

Phil is the UK Editor of our sister site, PC Gamer. He's been writing for them for over a decade, initially starting out as a freelance writer specialising in MMOs. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online, and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2.