Tomb Raider Definitive is studio "putting our hands around the entire franchise"

Xbox One and PS4 package rebuilt for new technology, is a stake in the ground for next-gen Lara Croft, says exec producer Scott Amos.

Tomb Raider Definitive Edition is developer Crystal Dynamics' first foray into development on new home consoles, but it also shows the possibilities of the much-loved Tomb Raider franchise.

Speaking to VG247 in a new interview to be published next week, executive producer Scott Amos said new consoles allow the team to realise the potential stifled by previous technology.

"This was a lot of money and a lot of time, all of us putting a lot of money and our hearts and souls into it and saying 'let's take this game that we really love, that we put everything into last time, and make it for these new platforms'," he said.

"That's one of the weird discrepancies. You can get it on current gen, on 360 and PS3, you can get it on PC, but going on Xbox One and PS4 took a tonne of new technology.

"Just getting the new engine to run, then getting the new assets moved over and completely rebuilt to take advantage of new shading techniques, new lighting techniques, all new particle systems and physical simulation stuff that we just couldn't have done last time because of processor power. All of those nuances and details we hadn't done before, and that we couldn't have done until we got onto next-gen."

The Definitive Edition comes with all the additional DLC and extras released for the game to create the ultimate collector's package. But for Crystal Dynamics is was also about owning the franchise and demonstrating its next-gen pulling power.

"It's us putting our hands around the entire franchise, everything we've done to date, all the content in the one space so we could maximise our build - to say this is what our first steps on next-gen look like, here's what our first step at a new Lara Croft could look like for next-gen.

"For us it's really a big deal to see how we embrace new platforms as soon as possible because the more we know about them the better we can make future versions."

The full interview with Scott Amos will be published next week. A comparison video between the PS3 and PS4 versions of the game can be seen here.