Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent UK studio, Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling company is poised to release its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s Racer Revenge, and it does so at a time when the racing genre has lost much of its mainstream shine. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market simply didn’t seem to need another racer. Criterion itself has shifted focus away from car games toward the Battlefield franchise. Yet Webster remains convinced that a demand exists.
“We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community feedback tells us we’re not the only ones who feel that way.” He argues that video‑game genres are inherently cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types inevitably return to favour as the player base broadens.
“The more people play games, the more even the tiniest niches can find a sizable audience,” Webster says. He believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer includes tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits. Beyond the adrenaline‑pumping thrills, the game deliberately upends long‑standing racing conventions.
Most racers rely on a car‑collection model that has remained unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to rip that structure up and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of those borrowed ideas is the notion of meaningful consequence, a concept often diluted in modern racers by the presence of rewind or checkpoint systems. In Galactic Racer, crashes carry weight: too many failures send the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a slightly stronger position on the next attempt.
This risk‑reward loop mirrors the design of roguelikes such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven." The game’s release window lands on October 6, comfortably ahead of Rockstar’s highly anticipated GTA 6 slated for November 19, yet close to other major launches like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but points out that the industry has weathered busier periods before. “People used to call September ‘murderer’s row,’ yet October has always been packed as well,” he reflects, emphasizing that Fuse approaches the market with a "healthy sense of confidence" tempered by realism.
When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector, Webster draws on his decades‑long perspective. He recalls a similar contraction fifteen years ago and stresses a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find their audience. He warns that the current climate shows a pronounced aversion to risk, which paradoxically creates openings for studios willing to gamble on innovative ideas.
“If you’re not making bold bets, you’re limiting opportunity for yourself,” he says. Funding, however, has not been a smooth ride.
Starting a studio in 2023 felt “brave” to many investors, especially after Webster’s 32‑year tenure at EA, which he describes as a protective bubble. He outlines the core principles that guided Fuse: assemble a talented team, sharpen a clear creative vision, devise a disciplined yet flexible plan, and constantly iterate while staying true to core values. Engaged talent, he argues, is the engine that turns vision into reality.
Fuse operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 people—by design. Rather than inflating and deflating staff numbers as projects rise and fall, the studio leans on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model ranges from pure outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development where outside studios sit in Fuse’s daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaboration, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, transactional assistance to enthusiastic, value‑aligned partnerships.
The speed of Galactic Racer’s development showcases the efficacy of this approach. Fuse was founded in January 2023; three and a half years later the team has built a studio, assembled a crew, and delivered a game on Unreal Engine 5—an engine none of them had previously mastered. "It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," Webster says. A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the blend of veteran Criterion alumni with a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before.
"The young talent we’ve recruited is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age," Webster remarks, crediting their fresh perspectives for the studio’s successes. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, a mindset that can stifle mentorship. Fuse has therefore pivoted its hiring strategy to nurture emerging talent, even contemplating an intern program in the future—though the studio remains pre‑revenue and cautious about the costs involved.
Looking back to the boom years five or six years ago, Webster recalls how many successful studios were spun off because a single hit gave teams easy access to capital. He argues that money would have been better spent on strong teams rather than on the myth of the solitary creative visionary—a notion he calls "fucking bullshit." In reality, games are collaborative endeavors. As for what lies beyond Galactic Racer, Fuse’s plans are still forming. The launch is just the first chapter, and the studio remains open to discussing future opportunities.
Webster emphasizes flexibility and adaptability as essential traits for independent developers in today’s unpredictable market. "We have ideas about where we want to go next, but we have to stay nimble," he concludes.