Apple has acquired the motion capture firm that created the models used in films such as the "Star Wars."

TechCrunch confirmed on Wednesday that Apple had bought out Faceshift, the Zurich-based startup that developed the technology to produce virtual avatars that can capture a person's expressions in real time.

Rumors emerged earlier this year that Apple had acquired the company, however no conclusive evidence had been found until now.

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," said a company spokesperson to TechCrunch.

According to the news site, several Faceshift employees have moved to Apple's offices in Europe.

MacRumors also reports that Apple has sought to hire additional employees, including a software engineer to focus on "cutting-edge imaging algorithms for both mobile and desktop photographic applications."

It is unknown what Apple will do with the technology, primarily used for gaming and animation studios. Some suspect the company intends to integrate it with FaceTime, allowing users to create real-time avatars on video chats.

Faceshift was birthed in 2011 out of the Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. In 2013, industry veteran Doug Griffin of Industrial Light & Magic and Electronic Arts was brought on to head the San Francisco branch.

According to the company's website, "Faceshift studio is a facial motion capture software solution which revolutionizes facial animation, making it possible at every desk. The software analyzes the facial movements of an actor and describes them as a mixture of basic expressions, plus head orientation, and eye gaze. This description is then used to animate virtual characters for use in any situation where facial animation is required, such as movie and game production."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is one of the most recent films to utilize the technology (as shown at the :41 mark in the video below.)

Check out more of Faceshift's tech in action below.