What is Microsoft's "ForzaTech"? [UPDATE]

[UPDATE] ForzaTech is the name of the in-house Forza game engine. More details are coming at E3.

"We can confirm that Microsoft has filed a trademark application for ForzaTech, which is Turn 10 Studios' proprietary graphics and simulation engine for Forza," a Microsoft representative told GameSpot. "We'll have more to share at E3."

The original story is below.

Microsoft has filed a new trademark application for something called "Forzatech," though the company's intentions for it are not immediately clear.

The Xbox company filed for the trademark with the United States Patent & Trademark Office on April 2. It is listed as "game software," and unfortunately, no further description is provided.

Given that Forza is featured in the name, it's quite likely that "Forzatech" is related to Microsoft's major racing franchise. The name, however, doesn't sound like something would call a game itself, but possibly a related service or technology.

Microsoft already holds trademarks for other non-game Forza products, one of which is Forza Hub, the name of the free Xbox app that collects news and information about the racing series. The company has also trademarked "Drivatar," which is an artificial intelligence technology featured in recent Forza titles.

The next Forza game is the upcoming Forza Motorsport 6 for Xbox One, though it's unclear if Forzatech is in any way tied to that title.

We've contacted Microsoft asking for more information about the Forzatech trademark.

Do you know what Forzatech is? Drop us a line via the email address below to discuss.