Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the Criterion banner, a studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, along with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a game that will be published by the newly independent Secret Mode.
Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars racing game – 2002’s Racer Revenge – and it does so at a moment when traditional racing games have struggled to capture mainstream attention. Recent industry headlines illustrate the shift: Amazon walked away 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 room for another conventional racer. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects to focus on the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists. “We clearly believe 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 and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical.
“We’ve gone through a phase where shooters dominated, but that’s not the whole story. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger fan base.” Webster argues that gamers are hungry for fresh, compelling experiences that they haven’t encountered before, and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The team set out to capture the instant gratification of an arcade‑style racer while also asking, “What could we do if we weren’t limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits.
Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. For two decades, most racing games have been built around a car‑collection model, a formula that Webster believes is ready for disruption. “Let’s rip that up and borrow ideas from other genres,” he says.
One of those borrowed concepts is the idea of meaningful consequence. In many modern racers, a rewind button can erase mistakes, diluting the impact of crashes.
Fuse wants to restore stakes: crashing too often forces the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a sense of forward momentum despite setbacks. The game’s design is also heavily inspired by roguelike principles found in titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire.
Those games are engineered for infinite replayability, a trait that dovetails naturally with racing, a genre that thrives on repeated runs and mastery. By integrating procedural elements, risk‑reward decisions, and a persistent progression layer, Galactic Racer aims to feel like a “match made in heaven” between racing speed and roguelike depth.
Webster acknowledges that this design philosophy is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases, especially as the industry prepares for heavyweight launches like GTA 6. Galactic Racer is slated for an October 6 release, comfortably spaced from GTA 6’s November 19 launch but still landing in a crowded autumn window that includes titles such as Control Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both dropping on September 24. “September looks busy,” Webster notes, “but I remember the ‘Murderer’s Row’ era when October was the busiest month of the year.” He maintains a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by a realistic outlook on how the market might respond.
When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure and the earlier layoff cycle a decade and a half ago. “Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience,” he observes. He sees the current risk‑averse climate as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets.
“If you’re not willing to risk, you limit opportunity,” he adds. Starting a new studio in 2023, however, has not been without its challenges. Funding proved elusive; many questioned the wisdom of launching an independent studio in a turbulent market.
Webster recounts the shock of stepping out of his 32‑year EA bubble: “People were like, ‘you’re brave doing an indie studio in 2023.’ And I thought, ‘really?’” He emphasizes a set of core principles that guided Fuse: assemble a talented team, crystalize a creative vision, devise a disciplined yet adaptable plan, and stay true to those values. Engaged and motivated talent, he argues, is the engine that drives exceptional outcomes.
Fuse’s core team is intentionally lean—about 75 people—far smaller than a typical AAA development house. This size is a strategic choice to avoid the industry’s notorious “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” staffing cycles.
Instead, Fuse leans on external partners to fill capability gaps. The studio distinguishes between transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) and true co‑development, where external studios sit in on stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase.
The UK’s mature game development ecosystem, Webster says, makes it an ideal hub for such collaborations, with many studios eager to work on diverse projects rather than being locked into a single title. Webster believes this hybrid model—small permanent core plus trusted external partners—could become a sustainable blueprint for future AAA‑scale projects. “You can achieve AAA scope, scale, and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget this way,” he explains, noting the rapid development timeline as proof. Fuse launched in January 2023; three and a half years later they have a studio, a team, and a fully‑realized game built on Unreal Engine 5, a technology none of them had mastered at the outset.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its embrace of youthful talent. Alongside veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has recruited many younger developers, even hiring a producer with no prior game‑industry experience. “The young talent we’ve got is smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age,” Webster says proudly. He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but this approach can stifle growth.
By nurturing younger staff, Fuse has found a fresh source of energy and innovation, prompting the studio to adjust its hiring strategy accordingly. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and financially cautious. He draws on Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model, acknowledging that cultivating talent requires upfront investment and a clear-eyed understanding of the costs involved. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful teams to spin off their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected.
He criticizes the lingering myth of the “singular creative visionary” as “fucking bullshit,” insisting that games are the product of collaborative effort rather than the vision of a lone auteur. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the roadmap is still forming.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas. “Independent developers today need to stay flexible and adaptable,” he concludes, underscoring the company’s commitment to evolving with the market while staying true to its core values.