Game Tax Heaven 3000 about the preparation of the US federal tax return 2022 scheduled for April 4
Kodoani.com – Earlier this week, an indie visual novel called Tax Heaven 3000 went viral on Twitter for its absurd premise: The game promises to help you prepare your 2022 US federal tax return, which you accomplish by interacting with a pink-haired anime girl named Iris.
Developer MSCHF seems to be well-intentioned with its goals. The game’s itch.io page comments on the flaws of the US tax system as follows: “Most rich countries are free to file their taxes, if the burden of preparation is even transferred to individuals. But, translation Corporate tax returns are (by the dint of extensive lobbying) predatory, parasitic bottlenecks that deliberately complicate the tax filing process to make it unnavigable by ordinary people.”
The game aims to simplify the self-filing tax filing process by making the game more enjoyable. To put it another humorously, this system is only suitable for “single filers with no dependents”. This has its own meaning—you won’t be looking for love on your tax return if you’re already married!
While many Twitter users were amused by the novelty of the concept, The Verge reported that the game was removed from Steam on Wednesday night. MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg told The Verge that Valve gave no reason for the game’s removal. The game originally went through Steam’s “standard verification process” and is scheduled to launch on April 4.
For all the positive rumors about the game, quite a few Twitter users have also pointed out the dangers of giving out your social security number and financial information to an unofficial agency. While the game doesn’t actually pay you taxes, the game’s description doesn’t provide details on how the game will handle personal information.
Tax Heaven 3000 will still be available for purchase on ichi.io on April 4.