Hi! I’m Rob Karp. You may remember me from my role as producer at XDev Studio, where I worked on a number of Sony’s first-party games over the years. Today I want to tell you about my latest venture, which is coming to PS4, PS3, and PS Vita this winter. It’s called Backgammon Blitz, and it’s a game I’m pumped for.

Backgammon has been played for centuries by gamers young, old, and ancient. It appears to be a simple game about getting your checkers around the board before your opponent, but has immense layers of depth and strategy to it.

I’m just the messenger, of course. The talented folks behind this lovely little title are VooFoo Studios. Having made a name for themselves with Hustle Kings and Pure Chess, Backgammon feels like a step onwards and upwards for the studio, taking all of their strengths (gorgeous art design, a subtle but stylish approach to UI) and none of their weaknesses (cake night every Friday) into the next generation of platforms.

The team are so keen to whet your appetite for the world of backgammon that they’re offering a trial version of the game that’ll teach you the rules in an instant. And if you upgrade to the full game, you’ll get seamless, asynchronous cross-platform play that’s so quick it feels like real time, as well as a brand new arcade mode called Blitz.

Will you become a Backgammon Blitz Master?