Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues 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, Fuse 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 moment when the racing genre has largely slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market didn’t seem to have room for it. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from racing to focus on the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a hungry audience for a Star Wars‑set racing experience. “We definitely think there’s a market for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“We’re not the only ones who feel that way, and the response 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. After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface. “As more and more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a bigger audience,” Webster added. According to Webster, modern gamers are craving "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 asking, "What could we do if we weren’t bound by tyres and tarmac?" The answer, he says, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other fantastical environments that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to overturn long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. For two decades, the standard formula has revolved around collecting cars, upgrading them, and gradually unlocking new content.
Webster wants to rip that model apart and borrow ideas from other genres. One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button nullifies mistakes, erasing any penalty.
Fuse’s approach restores risk: crash too often and you’re sent back to the start, though you retain a portion of meta‑progression that makes you slightly stronger on the next attempt. This creates a tension between aggression and caution that mirrors the decision‑making found in roguelike titles. Webster explicitly cites roguelikes such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire as inspirations.
Those games are built around infinite replayability, and racing, by nature, thrives on repeated runs. By marrying the two, Fuse hopes to produce a game that feels fresh each time you play, encouraging players to experiment with different strategies, vehicles, and upgrades.
The crash mechanic, for example, forces you to weigh the immediate benefit of a risky shortcut against the long‑term cost of a potential reset. The timing of the launch is also a strategic decision. Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, a comfortable window before the highly anticipated GTA 6 drops on November 19, yet after other major titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both arriving on September 24.
Webster acknowledges that the pre‑holiday calendar is crowded, recalling past years when September was labeled “murderer’s row.” Nevertheless, he maintains that a well‑crafted game can still carve out its own space, especially when it offers something distinct. Industry layoffs and funding challenges form a backdrop to Fuse’s story.
Webster, who has witnessed previous waves of layoffs, observes that great teams make great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that the current climate is marked by an aversion to risk, which paradoxically creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. Securing financing for an independent studio in 2023 proved difficult; many questioned the wisdom of launching a new venture amid market uncertainty. Webster reflects on his 32‑year tenure at EA as a “bubble” and describes the learning curve of building a lean, purpose‑driven studio from scratch.
Fuse Games operates with a core team of roughly 75 people—a size more typical of a mid‑tier studio than a traditional AAA developer. This deliberate choice avoids the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that have plagued larger studios. Instead, Fuse relies on a network of external partners to fill gaps, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s contractors are often eager to work across multiple teams, keeping their skills fresh and their motivation high. The hybrid model, according to Webster, proves that a AAA‑scale game—measured by scope, visual fidelity, and production values—can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core is supplemented by trusted partners. The rapid development timeline underscores this point: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the studio built its team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from the ground up, and produced a polished, market‑ready title. Webster describes this achievement as “healthy and sustainable,” emphasizing that the process was iterative, adaptable, and guided by core values rather than rigid milestones.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its embrace of young talent. Alongside veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has recruited many developers early in their careers, even hiring a producer who had never previously worked in games. Webster praises this fresh perspective, stating that younger team members often outperform older colleagues in creativity and efficiency.
He argues that senior developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who require minimal guidance, which can stifle mentorship and growth. By pivoting recruitment toward emerging talent, Fuse hopes to cultivate a pipeline of skilled creators who will stay with the company long‑term. Looking ahead, Webster envisions establishing an intern program to further nurture new talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality.
He reflects on a period five or six years ago when abundant funding led many successful developers to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independence. That era, he says, was marked by an unhealthy fixation on the myth of the “singular creative visionary”—a notion he dismisses as nonsense. Games, in his view, are collaborative endeavors, and success stems from strong teams rather than lone geniuses. As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster admits the roadmap is still forming.
The launch will be just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and partnerships. Flexibility, he says, is essential for independent developers navigating an ever‑changing market. In summary, Matt Webster’s journey from EA veteran to founder of Fuse Games illustrates how a small, agile team can challenge genre conventions, leverage external collaborations, and place trust in emerging talent to deliver a bold new entry in the Star Wars universe.
With Galactic Racer, Fuse aims to prove that even niche concepts can capture a sizable audience when they are executed with imagination, risk‑taking, and a clear vision for sustainable development.