Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed while at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
Yet in early 2023 he, along with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, decided to break away and launch their own independent UK studio, Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling company stands on the brink of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, which will be published by the newly autonomous label Secret Mode.
The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. It arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars racing game—*Racer Revenge* in 2002—and in an era when racing games have generally slipped out of the spotlight.
Recent industry moves underscore this shift: Amazon withdrew 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 have a clear fit for it. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects to focus on the *Battlefield* franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a viable audience for a Star Wars‑themed racing experience. “We clearly think there’s a market for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that, and the reaction to our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other genres inevitably resurface as players seek fresh, compelling experiences they haven’t yet encountered.
In his view, *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that novelty. Fuse’s design philosophy embraces 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, according to Webster, is a series of wildly imaginative tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and feel more like roller‑coasters than conventional circuits. This arcade‑style thrill is only the surface; the game also aims to upend longstanding genre conventions.
Traditionally, racing games have relied on a car‑collection model—a formula that has persisted for roughly two decades. Webster wants to discard that model and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player actions, particularly crashes.
In many modern racers, a rewind button nullifies any penalty, eroding tension. *Galactic Racer* re‑introduces risk: crashing repeatedly forces the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a stronger position for the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop mirrors the design of roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, which are built around infinite replayability.
Webster argues that racing, by nature, thrives on repeated play, making the marriage of roguelike principles and high‑speed competition a “match made in heaven.” The consequence system is deliberately unforgiving. When a player exhausts their allotted crashes, they are sent to the beginning of the run, but they retain certain upgrades. The looming threat of a final crash forces players to weigh aggression against caution, heightening the strategic depth of each race.
This approach marks a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles, especially as the industry prepares for heavyweight releases like *GTA 6*. *Galactic Racer* is slated for launch on October 6, positioning it between the September releases of *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* and the November debut of *GTA 6*. While some observers might label the October window as crowded, Webster notes that the industry has long navigated dense release calendars. “People used to call September ‘murderer’s row,’ and October was always packed,” he recalls.
Fuse approaches the competition with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realism, believing that good games will ultimately find their audience. Webster’s optimism is informed by his experience navigating industry turbulence, including the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios in recent years.
He reflects on a previous bout of downsizing a decade and a half ago, emphasizing that strong teams produce great games, and great games attract players. He also observes a growing aversion to risk among larger publishers, which he sees as an opening for independent studios willing to take calculated bets.
Funding, however, remains a significant hurdle for new studios. Webster recounts the skepticism he faced when announcing an independent studio in 2023 after three decades at EA.
“People asked if I was brave enough to go independent,” he says. The answer, he believes, lies in adhering to core principles: assembling a talented team, sharpening a creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while recognizing that plans are always provisional and must be iterated upon. Fuse Games operates with a relatively modest core team of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague many AAA projects.
Instead of scaling up and down internally, Fuse leverages external development partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios participate fully in stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as especially conducive to such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, opportunistic outsourcing to enthusiastic, value‑aligned partnerships. According to Webster, this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game—both in scope and visual fidelity—can be produced on a sustainable budget when a lean core team is augmented by trusted external contributors. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* underscores the efficacy of the model: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the studio had built its team, mastered Unreal Engine 5, and delivered a full‑featured title. The studio’s talent composition further illustrates its forward‑looking philosophy.
While several veterans from Criterion anchor the project, many younger developers have joined the effort, including a producer who had never previously worked in games. Webster praises this fresh talent, stating they often outperform more senior colleagues in creativity and efficiency. He argues that nurturing junior staff not only energizes the team but also yields better outcomes than relying solely on seasoned developers who may prefer minimal interaction. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to cultivate the next generation of creators, though he acknowledges that Fuse remains pre‑revenue and must first achieve financial stability.
He references Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model and cautions that developing talent requires upfront investment and realistic expectations. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period when successful games generated abundant funding for spin‑off studios, only for many founders to discover the challenges of independent operation.
He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the “lone creative visionary” myth, labeling it “bullshit” and emphasizing that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s future beyond *Galactic Racer*, Webster admits the roadmap is still forming. The studio plans to treat the launch as a springboard, remaining open to new opportunities while staying flexible and adaptable—qualities he deems essential for independent developers in today’s volatile market.