Double Fine entering 'The Cave'?

Double Fine may be getting metaphysical with its next project. As spotted by Siliconera, the San Francisco-based developer has filed an application to trademark "The Cave" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The mark would be used for "computer game software and video game software."

The game company's latest trademark application was originally filed on February 22, some two weeks after it raised $1 million through crowd-sourced funding service Kickstarter. That funding, which currently stands at nearly $2.3 million, is to be used to create a classic adventure game akin to studio head Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert's Monkey Island series.

Beyond the Kickstarter project, Double Fine has found recent success with smaller-scale downloadable efforts. These projects have included Stacking, Iron Brigade (nee Trenched), and Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster. The studio is also at work on a project led by DeathSpank creator Ron Gilbert.

[UPDATE] One possibility that can be ruled out is that "The Cave" refers to Double Fine's Kickstarter project. "While we can't comment on unannounced projects, we can say that Double Fine's Kickstarter-funded adventure game has not been started, designed, or even imagined yet. No trademarks have been filed on its behalf," a Double Fine representative told GameSpot.