Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
Yet in early 2023, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, chose to leave the corporate behemoth and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later, Fuse is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent label 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 traditional racing games have struggled to capture mainstream attention.
Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t seem to need another driving game. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing and now pours its resources into the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a viable audience exists for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly believe there’s a demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a period where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the only genre that can thrive.
As more and more people play games, even the tiniest niche can find a larger audience.” Webster argues that players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio 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, he says, includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than conventional circuits.
Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing genre conventions. Most racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades, a formula Webster wants to discard. “Let’s rip that up and borrow mechanics from other genres,” he explains.
One such borrowed element is consequential decision‑making, exemplified by the game’s handling of crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for a mistake, but Webster wants crashes to matter. “When you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position,” he says. “That consequence forces players to weigh risk versus reward, especially when they’re on their last allowed crash.” The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability.
"Racing thrives on replayability, so pairing it with roguelike structures feels like a match made in heaven," Webster notes. The meta‑progression system rewards repeated attempts, encouraging players to refine their strategies and improve their times over countless runs. Launching the game on October 6 places it between several heavyweight releases. Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for November 19, while September 24 sees the arrival of Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall.
Some industry observers warned that September would be a crowded month, but Webster recalls earlier eras when October was considered the busiest stretch of the year, referring to it as “murderer’s row.” He admits the market is competitive, yet Fuse Games maintains “a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” Webster’s optimism is rooted in a broader industry perspective. He has witnessed two major waves of layoffs and remembers a similar contraction fifteen years ago. “Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience,” he reflects.
He sees the current risk‑averse climate as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets. “When you avoid risk, you limit opportunity. Those willing to push boundaries can capture the space left vacant by more cautious developers.” Funding, however, has not been easy.
Starting an independent studio in 2023 felt “brave” to many investors. Webster describes his transition from a 32‑year career at EA—where he operated inside a protective bubble—to the uncertainty of entrepreneurship. He emphasizes a core set of principles: building a talented team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning while staying flexible enough to adapt when plans inevitably change. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague many larger studios.
Instead, the studio leans on external development partners to fill skill gaps. This model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development relationships where external teams join Fuse’s daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories.
Webster highlights the United Kingdom’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s external studios are eager to work on varied projects rather than merely keeping the lights on. According to Webster, this hybrid approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game—measured by scope, visual fidelity and overall ambition—can be produced on a sustainable budget when a small permanent team is augmented by trusted partners who share the same values. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer underscores this point: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the team built a studio, assembled a workforce, and delivered a game on Unreal Engine 5—technology none of them had previously mastered. The studio’s talent mix also reflects a generational shift.
Alongside the Criterion veterans, Fuse has recruited many younger developers, even hiring a producer with no prior game‑industry experience. Webster praises this influx of fresh perspectives, stating that the younger team members often prove “smarter and more effective” than he was at their age.
He argues that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who can work independently, which can hinder mentorship and growth. By actively nurturing young talent, Fuse hopes to create a more dynamic and motivated workforce. Looking ahead, Webster envisions an intern program to further cultivate emerging developers, though he acknowledges that Fuse is still pre‑revenue. He cites Criterion’s successful internship pipelines as a model and stresses that any such initiative must be entered with “eyes wide open” regarding the costs of talent development.
Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful developers were given the chance to start their own studios, only to discover how challenging independence can be. He critiques the industry’s lingering fascination with the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit” and insisting that games are always 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 while the studio has ideas for subsequent projects, he stresses the need for flexibility and adaptability in today’s independent development landscape. "We’ll keep talking to people about opportunities, and we have a sense of where we want to go, but the reality is you have to stay nimble," he concludes.