Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He arrived at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the iconic Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, along with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, chose to strike out on their own and establish the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling company is poised to launch its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly autonomous publisher Secret Mode. The timing of Galactic Racer’s release is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, Racer Revenge, hit shelves in 2002 – a full 24 years ago.
Since then, the racing genre has generally lost steam. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing, devoting its resources to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable market for a Star Wars racing experience.
"Clearly we 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 response we get from people watching our videos or reading our articles suggests we’re not alone." He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably resurface as the player base expands. "The more people play games, the more even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience," Webster said.
Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels 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 once you free yourself from the constraints of realistic tyres and tarmac. "We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano – it’s like a roller‑coaster," he explained, highlighting the game’s willingness to embrace over‑the‑top, physics‑defying environments. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing genre conventions.
Most racing games rely on a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases any penalty, but Fuse wants to restore risk: "If you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start, though you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position.
The last crash feels critical – you start weighing the risk you’re taking." The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which prioritize infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," Webster noted.
Each run through the game can yield different upgrades, route choices and challenges, encouraging players to experiment and improve over successive attempts. Webster is aware 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 to drop on October 6, a comfortable gap from the GTA launch but still close to other major titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both arriving on September 24. He points out that the industry has weathered even busier pre‑Christmas windows in the past. "People used to call September ‘murderers’ row,’ and October was always packed," he recalled, emphasizing that a confident yet realistic outlook is essential. The conversation naturally shifted to the broader climate of layoffs and risk aversion in the industry.
Webster, who has witnessed multiple waves of downsizing, believes great teams create great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that the current reluctance to take creative risks actually opens doors for studios willing to gamble on unconventional ideas. "If you’re not willing to make bold bets, you limit your opportunities," he said. Funding, however, remains a significant hurdle for independent studios.
Webster described the skepticism he faced when he announced Fuse Games in 2023: "People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio now,’" he recalled. After three decades at EA, stepping into a lean, self‑sufficient operation was a steep learning curve. His guiding principles boiled down to building a solid team, honing a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. Fuse’s core team numbers around 75 people – modest by AAA standards – and this size is intentional.
The studio avoids the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that many large developers experience. Instead, Fuse relies on a hybrid model of external development: transactional outsourcing for asset creation, and deeper co‑development partnerships where external studios sit in on stand‑ups, Slack channels and even share codebases. Webster highlighted the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s external partners are eager to work across multiple projects rather than being locked into a single in‑house title.
According to Webster, this blended approach can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer – three and a half years from studio inception to a near‑complete UE5‑powered game – serves as proof of concept. "We started Fuse in January 2023 and have built a studio, a team and a game on an engine none of us knew at the start.
It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," he said. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of youthful talent alongside veteran developers. Some producers on the project had never worked in games before. Webster praised the energy and ingenuity of the younger staff, claiming they often outperform more senior colleagues in terms of creativity and efficiency.
He observed that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work with equally experienced peers, but this can stifle mentorship opportunities. By deliberately nurturing junior talent, Fuse hopes to create a virtuous cycle of growth and motivation. Looking ahead, Webster envisions establishing a formal internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue and must tread carefully. He cites Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model and stresses the importance of recognizing the costs associated with talent development.
Reflecting on the industry’s past reliance on “superstar” creators, Webster dismisses the myth of the solitary visionary as "fucking bullshit." He argues that games are inherently collaborative endeavors, and the focus should shift toward empowering strong teams rather than idolizing individual auteurs. As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster admits plans are still fluid. The studio views the launch as just the beginning and remains open to exploring new opportunities, adapting its strategy as market conditions evolve.
In his words, "For an independent developer these days, you have to be flexible and adaptable."