Underdog Games

Underdog Games is an independent American tabletop board game publisher and developer based in Huntington Station, New York. Founded in 2017 by e-commerce entrepreneur Hasan Hasmani and game designer Charlie Bink, the company focuses on family, gateway, and educational games. Its catalogue combines travel, geography, history, and approachable competition, with games intended to connect casual family players and hobbyist audiences.

The business grew from a partnership to publish a redesigned second edition of Trekking the National Parks. Bink had originally self-published the game in 2014 through Bink Inc., inspired by his parents’ visits to every U.S. national park. That earlier release preceded the formation of Underdog Games; the second edition became the foundation of the publisher’s continuing Trekking series.

Games and development

The studio expanded its travel-focused catalogue with Trekking the World in 2020 and Trekking Through History in 2022. Its publishing programme also includes HerStory, which celebrates historical women, and an Underdog edition of the licensed dexterity game Coconuts. The catalogue spans board games, trivia, card games, and expansions that add new ways to play established titles.

Accessible rules and intuitive mechanics are central to the studio’s approach. Its development work combines game design, rules editing, playtesting, and factual research. Educational material appears alongside illustrated components, while selected products use custom wooden markers, neoprene mats, and purpose-built storage inserts. Solo modes and modular expansions extend some games beyond their original formats.

Underdog combines development and publishing with international licensing, manufacturing coordination, crowdfunding, and direct-to-consumer sales. It works with specialist designers and external development partners through a remote operating model. Recent additions include Marceline Leiman’s grid-movement game High Tide, which debuted in September 2025, and the dinosaur betting card game Dino Racer, launched at Gen Con in 2026.