Open Ledger, an accounting software company, has introduced a new product in anticipation of tax day. The product, named PokéTax, aims to make tax filing more enjoyable. Instead of traditional tax forms, users engage with Tax Trainers, akin to gym leaders, each representing different sections of a tax form such as income, deductions, and credits. These trainers pose questions to assist players in completing their tax documents.
Following the completion of the PokéTax game, users are directed to the IRS Direct File site to officially submit their taxes, according to Open Ledger co-founder Pryce Adade-Yebesi in a statement to TechCrunch. The game is a creatively adapted version of the open-source Pokémon game, Pokémon Showdown, and Adade-Yebesi assured that the initiative is genuine, emphasizing it is not an April Fool’s joke.
Highlighting the seriousness of the product, Adade-Yebesi remarked, “This is real; it works. Tax fraud isn’t funny — and neither is the IRS.” Open Ledger, established earlier this year by Adade-Yebesi and Ashtyn Bell, has secured $3 million in funding led by Kindred Ventures and Black Ventures. The team initially conceived the product as a lighthearted project, questioning the feasibility of such a venture. Clearly, the answer was affirmative.
PokéTax features an AI assistant that helps to organize users’ responses. As players interact with the Tax Trainers, they can earn badges or uncover new deductions. Transforming the often disliked task of tax filing into a game is considered rare among entrepreneurs. Notably, in 2023, a dating-style game called Tax Heaven 3000 was introduced, allowing users to complete a tax form through interactions with an avatar named Iris. However, this was only available for the 2022 tax season.
Adade-Yebesi aspires to make financial procedures more engaging and significantly less taxing by incorporating elements of fun. The deadline for tax submissions remains April 15.
