Microsoft trademarks 'Forzavista' ahead of Xbox reveal event

Microsoft filed a trademark for the term "Forzavista" last week, according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office listing discovered by Siliconera.

According to the filing, Forzavista doesn't appear to be the title of a new entry in the Microsoft-owned Forza franchise; instead, it sounds like a feature in a future Forza game. The description refers to Forzavista as "a feature of interactive video game software which allows players to obtain statistical information of internal and external features of a vehicle and to virtually navigate and operate those vehicles."

Forza Motorsport 4, which launched in 2011, included a new mode called Autovista that allowed players to get up close and personal with the interior of a car and the guts under its hood. The most recent entry in the series is Forza Horizon (screenshot above), which was made by Playground Games with input from original Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios; it came out last fall.

Microsoft will unveil the next Xbox during an event at its Redmond, Wash., headquarters tomorrow. It's possible that the company will show off something Forza-related there — auto manufacturer McLaren highlighted the event on its Facebook page today, saying, "We think you might like what they're announcing."

The briefing is set to begin at 1 p.m. ET, but we'll have pre-show coverage co-hosted with our friends at The Verge starting at 12:30 p.m. ET, and that will roll straight into Microsoft's hourlong presentation.