Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which 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 studio is poised to ship 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 generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market didn’t seem to have room for another racer.
Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars‑flavoured speed experience. "We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars racing game," he told GamesIndustry.biz.
"Our community feedback—people watching our videos, reading our posts—suggests we’re not the only ones who think this genre still has life." He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other styles inevitably return to favour, especially as the overall player base expands. "The more people play games, the larger even the tiniest niche becomes," Webster said.
According to Webster, modern gamers crave "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The team set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when a game is no longer bound by realistic tyres and tarmac. "We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano – it’s practically a roller‑coaster," he explained. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditionally, racing games revolve around car collection—a formula that has stayed largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to rip that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases any penalty, but Fuse wants crashes to matter.
"If you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression, so you’re a little stronger the next run," he said. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their last allowed crash. The game’s structure draws inspiration from roguelikes such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—titles built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replay value, so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a perfect match," Webster noted.
Each run is procedurally varied, encouraging players to experiment with different vehicles, upgrades and strategies, while the meta‑progression system ensures that repeated attempts feel rewarding rather than punitive. Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with heavyweight releases like GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer is set for an October 6 launch, sandwiched between major titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24). Yet he points out that busy release windows are nothing new.
"I remember the ‘Murderer’s Row’ era when October was jam‑packed with games," he recalled, emphasizing that Fuse maintains a "healthy confidence" tempered by realistic expectations. The conversation also touched on the broader industry climate, particularly the wave of layoffs and a growing aversion to risk.
Webster, who has witnessed a similar downturn fifteen years ago, believes that great teams produce great games, and great games find their audience. He argues that excessive caution limits opportunity, while studios willing to take calculated bets can thrive.
Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been challenging. After three decades at EA, Webster found the transition to entrepreneurship daunting. He stresses that the core principles he learned at EA—building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and staying disciplined while remaining adaptable—remain essential.
"A plan is always wrong, but it’s the best version you have today," he said, adding that engaged, motivated talent is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 people, deliberately avoiding the typical grow‑shrink‑grow cycle that plagues many AAA studios. Instead, the studio leans on external partners for additional capacity, ranging from transactional outsourcing to full co‑development where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even share the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift where studios now willingly partner rather than reluctantly outsource.
This hybrid model, he believes, enables a AAA‑scale game to be built on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a finished UE5‑powered title in just three and a half years—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the infusion of young talent alongside veteran Criterion alumni.
Some team members, including a producer, have never worked in games before. "Our younger developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," Webster said, praising the fresh perspectives they bring.
He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but nurturing junior talent can be equally motivating for both parties. The studio hopes to formalise an internship program in the future, though it remains pre‑revenue and cautious about the costs involved. Reflecting on a period when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how many successful teams were given funding to spin‑out, only to discover how hard it is to sustain a studio without solid fundamentals.
He criticises the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the solitary creative visionary, calling it "bullshit" and insisting that games are always collaborative efforts. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains open‑ended about its next steps. While the launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, the studio is already considering future opportunities and is prepared to stay flexible in an ever‑changing market. "We have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent developer you have to be adaptable," Webster concluded.