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 developing titles for the Criterion team, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Just three and a half years later the fledgling studio is poised to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher 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 time when traditional racing franchises have lost some of their commercial sparkle. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing arrangement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market didn’t seem to have room for another racer.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus from pure racing to the Battlefield series. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community feedback and the interest we see online suggest we’re not the only ones who think so.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to cycle.
After a period dominated by shooters, other styles inevitably re‑emerge. As the overall player base expands, even the most niche concepts can find a sizable crowd. He believes gamers are searching for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
The studio’s goal was to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racing while also exploring what’s possible when you’re no longer bound by the physics of real‑world tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” Webster explains. “It feels like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Most racing games have relied on a static car‑collection model for the past two decades.
Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One major innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashes.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for mistakes, but Fuse wants to bring risk back into play. When a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start of the run, yet they retain a slice of meta‑progress that makes the next attempt slightly stronger. This risk‑reward loop, he says, mirrors the design philosophy of roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability.
"Racing thrives on replayability," he notes, "so pairing it with roguelike systems feels like a perfect match." The consequence system forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully. "When you’re on your last allowed crash and your systems are critical, you actually feel the tension," Webster says. That tension, he believes, is a refreshing departure from the hand‑holding that has become common in many AAA releases.
Timing the launch is another strategic consideration. Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, a comfortable gap before the highly anticipated GTA 6, slated for November 19, yet still close enough to ride the wave of other major September releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24). Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but reminds us that the industry has weathered busier windows before.
"People used to call October ‘Murderers’ Row’ because it was packed with titles," he recalls. "We’re confident, but we keep a realistic outlook on how things might unfold." When discussing the broader industry climate, Webster reflects on the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios.
He notes that great teams make great games, and great games find audiences, regardless of market turbulence. He also observes a growing aversion to risk among larger publishers, which creates openings for independent developers willing to take calculated bets. However, securing financing for a new studio in 2023 proved challenging. "People told me it was brave to start an indie studio now," he says, recalling his 32‑year tenure at EA as a protective bubble.
He stresses the importance of building a solid team, clarifying a creative vision, and maintaining disciplined yet adaptable planning. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 staff members—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting the internal roster, the studio leans on external partners for supplemental work. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external teams attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are more eager to partner than they were a decade ago.
The rapid development timeline underscores the viability of this approach. Fuse launched in January 2023, and within three and a half years they have built a studio, assembled a team, and delivered a full‑scale UE5 game despite none of them having prior experience with the engine. "It feels like an achievement, and we did it sustainably," Webster says.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of young talent. Several producers and developers on Galactic Racer had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster praises their fresh perspectives, claiming they often outperform more seasoned colleagues in creativity and efficiency.
He argues that nurturing junior staff benefits both the newcomers and the veterans, fostering a collaborative culture that outweighs the traditional preference for senior‑only teams. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to continue attracting emerging developers, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality.
He reflects on a period five or six years ago when abundant funding led many successful creators to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independent operation. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of a singular creative visionary, calling it "bullshit" and emphasizing that games are always the product of collaborative effort. As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible. While the launch of Galactic Racer marks a significant milestone, Webster says the team will evaluate future opportunities based on market conditions and internal capacity.
"We have ideas and directions we’d like to explore, but as an indie developer today you have to stay adaptable," he concludes.