Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the iconic Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the Criterion banner, a studio 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 the fledgling studio stands 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, the 2002 release Racer Revenge. In the intervening years the racing genre has lost much of its mainstream momentum. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the product "didn’t fit the market." Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted away from cars and onto the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. "We definitely think there’s a crowd out there for a Star Wars‑based racer," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "Our community, the people who watch our videos and read our updates, seem to echo that sentiment.
Genres tend to be cyclical. After a long stretch where shooters dominated, we’re seeing other types of games re‑emerge. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger following." Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio’s vision is to craft something fresh, blending the instant gratification of classic arcade racing with imaginative, physics‑defying environments that would be impossible in a realistic simulation.
"Imagine tracks that climb the side of an active volcano or loop around a floating crystal canyon – it’s a roller‑coaster at times," he explained. Beyond the spectacle, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Traditionally, racing games revolve around collecting cars, a formula that has changed little in two decades. Webster wants to rip that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashes. In many modern racers a "rewind" button erases failure, but Fuse wants to restore risk: a crash can send a player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a sense of forward momentum despite setbacks. This design draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, games built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replay value, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," Webster said.
The consequence system forces players to weigh risk versus reward. If you crash repeatedly you’re forced to restart, yet each attempt lets you retain certain upgrades, making subsequent runs feel more potent. The tension of a “last‑chance” crash adds a strategic layer rarely seen in arcade racers, pushing players to think about line choice, boost usage and defensive driving. Launching the game on October 6 positions it well ahead of Rockstar’s much‑anticipated GTA 6, slated for November 19, while still landing after major September releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall.
Webster acknowledges the crowded pre‑holiday window but points out that the industry has long dealt with busy schedules. "People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row’ because it was packed with titles," he recalled. "We’re confident, but we keep a realistic view of how the market might respond." The conversation naturally shifted to the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through major publishers.
Webster, who has witnessed a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago, stresses that strong teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that a pervasive aversion to risk is limiting innovation, and that studios willing to take calculated bets can capture opportunities that more cautious competitors miss.
Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been anything but easy. "People told me it was brave to start a studio now," Webster said. After thirty‑two years at EA, he found himself navigating a new reality: building a team, refining a creative vision, and constantly iterating on a plan that is always provisional. He emphasizes that a motivated, engaged team is the cornerstone of success, and that leadership’s role is to nurture that enthusiasm.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core staff of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles common in AAA development. Instead of expanding and contracting the internal team, Fuse outsources specific tasks and partners with external studios that share its values. This hybrid model ranges from transactional asset creation to full‑fledged co‑development, where partner studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even share the code base.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are more willing to work together rather than compete for scarce resources. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team is augmented by trusted external partners.
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 talent, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and produced a polished, market‑ready title. A noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s culture is its blend of veteran expertise and fresh perspectives.
While the studio includes several Criterion alumni, many of its developers are younger, and at least one producer had never worked in games before joining the project. "The young talent we’ve recruited is incredibly smart and effective—often more so than I was at their age," Webster remarked. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work alongside peers of similar seniority, which can limit mentorship opportunities. By deliberately hiring and empowering younger staff, Fuse has cultivated a dynamic environment where mentorship flows both ways.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship pipeline to continue feeding the studio with emerging talent, though he admits the company is still pre‑revenue and must tread carefully. He references Criterion’s successful intern programs as a model and acknowledges the cost and effort required to develop new talent responsibly. Reflecting on a period a few years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster notes that many successful studios received funding simply because their founders had delivered a hit game. He argues that money would be better allocated to strong, cohesive teams rather than to the myth of a singular creative visionary—a notion he calls "bullshit." In reality, games are collaborative endeavors involving countless individuals.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and while they have ideas for future projects, they recognize the need to stay adaptable in an ever‑changing market. Webster concludes with a pragmatic optimism: "Good games find a way, and we’re hoping ours will be among them."