Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to remain at Electronic Arts. He started with the company back in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and founded the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to launch 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 largely slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Recent industry news underscores this shift: Amazon walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the product didn’t fit the current market.
Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted to focus on the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists.
“We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that way, and the reaction we get from people watching our videos or reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a phase where shooters dominated, but that’s not the only genre that can capture players’ attention.
As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable audience.” Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he argues that Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio’s vision is to create something fresh, blending the instant gratification of classic arcade racing with imaginative possibilities that arise once you free yourself from the constraints of real‑world tyres and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to overturn long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
Traditionally, racing games have revolved around car collection – a formula that hasn’t fundamentally changed in two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player actions, such as crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the impact of mistakes, but Fuse wants to bring consequence back.
"If you crash too often, you’re sent back to the start, though you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position," he says. "When you’re on your last allowed crash, you feel the risk and the tension." The game’s structure draws inspiration from roguelike titles like Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire – games built for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability, so combining it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," Webster notes.
This design choice encourages players to experiment, learn from failures, and keep returning for new runs, rather than simply grinding for cosmetic upgrades. Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands a month before the highly anticipated GTA 6 release on November 19, but after other major September launches such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (September 24). Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but reminds us that the industry has faced even denser pre‑holiday schedules before.
"People used to call October ‘murderers’ row,’" he recalls. "We have a healthy confidence, tempered by a realistic view of how the market might respond." When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector, Webster reflects on his long tenure.
He remembers a previous bout of cuts about fifteen years ago and notes a recurring truth: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. He warns that an aversion to risk is limiting opportunities, and that those willing to take calculated bets can thrive. "If you shy away from risk, you limit yourself," he says.
Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without hurdles. Funding proved elusive, with many questioning the wisdom of launching a new studio in a volatile climate.
Webster admits the transition from a 32‑year career at EA, where he operated within a corporate bubble, to the uncertain world of indie development was daunting. Yet he leaned on principles he’d learned over decades: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, craft a disciplined but flexible plan, and constantly review and adapt while staying true to core values.
"Engaged and motivated talent makes great things," he emphasizes, noting that it’s the studio’s responsibility to nurture that engagement. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core – about 75 people – a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles common in AAA development. Instead, the studio supplements its capabilities with external partners, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where external studios sit in Fuse’s daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and codebase.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift: today, studios willingly partner with each other, motivated by diverse projects rather than simply keeping the lights on. Webster believes this hybrid model – a small permanent core augmented by trusted external teams – could become a sustainable template for future AAA projects. It allows a studio to maintain creative control and a cohesive culture while scaling capacity as needed, without the disruptive hiring‑firing cycles that strain morale and budgets.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer underscores the viability of this approach. Fuse was founded in January 2023; three and a half years later the team has built a studio, assembled a team, and delivered a full‑scale UE5 game despite initially lacking deep expertise with the engine.
"It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," Webster says. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger developers alongside the Criterion veterans. Some team members, including a producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. "The young talent we’ve got is incredibly smart and effective – often more so than I was at that age," Webster observes.
He argues that focusing solely on senior hires can be counterproductive; nurturing emerging talent not only motivates the newcomers but also energizes seasoned staff. The studio is even considering an intern program to further cultivate fresh talent, though it remains pre‑revenue and cautious about the costs involved. Looking back to a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover the challenges were greater than anticipated.
He criticizes the industry’s past fixation on a single “creative visionary,” calling it "bullshit" and insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being charted. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas.
"Independent developers have to stay flexible and adaptable," he says, hinting that while specific projects are not yet announced, the team is already brainstorming the direction they want to pursue after their debut title. In summary, Matt Webster’s journey from a long‑standing EA veteran to the founder of an agile, externally‑augmented studio illustrates a broader industry shift.
By blending arcade thrills, roguelike depth, and a collaborative development model, Fuse Games hopes to prove that even niche genres can capture a growing audience in today’s expansive gaming landscape.