Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years working on iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed after EA acquired Criterion in 2004.
Yet in early 2023 Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate behemoth and launch their own independent studio in the United Kingdom – Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio 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 racing games have generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight.
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 market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand still exists. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other styles inevitably resurface. “The more people who play games, the more even the tiniest niches can find a sizable crowd,” Webster said. He believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
Fuse set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when a game is no longer limited by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” Webster explained. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Those high‑octane thrills are paired with a willingness to upend long‑standing genre conventions.
Traditionally, racing games revolve around collecting cars—a formula that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. "We wanted to rip that apart and borrow ideas from other genres," he said.
One of the most radical departures is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player mistakes. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the impact of a crash, making failure feel cheap. Fuse decided to bring consequence back, drawing inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability. "When you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position," Webster explained.
"That final crash feels critical – you start weighing risk versus reward in a way you don’t normally do in a racing game." This design philosophy aligns with the broader industry shift toward games that reward repeated play and strategic decision‑making. By blending the replay loops of roguelikes with the speed‑driven excitement of racing, Fuse hopes to create a "match made in heaven," as Webster put it. Timing the launch is also a strategic consideration.
Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, comfortably ahead of the much‑anticipated GTA 6 launch on November 19, yet close enough to ride the wave of other high‑profile releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both arriving on September 24. "September always looks busy, but historically October has been a ‘murderers’ row’ for games," Webster noted.
He acknowledges the competition but says Fuse approaches it with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations. "Good games find their audience," he said, echoing a mantra he’s heard throughout his long career.
Webster also reflected on the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. He recalled a similar contraction fifteen years ago and observed that great teams still produce great games, which in turn attract players. "There’s a lot of risk aversion right now," he said, "and that creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances.” Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without challenges, particularly regarding funding.
"People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio now,’" Webster recalled. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a new reality, relying on core principles: building a solid team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining discipline while staying adaptable. He emphasized that a motivated, engaged team is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse’s team is relatively small for a title that aspires to AAA quality – roughly 75 people.
This deliberate size avoids the industry’s typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle. Instead, Fuse leans on external development partners to fill gaps, employing a model that blends transactional outsourcing with deeper co‑development relationships. External studios can be simple asset providers or act as extensions of Fuse’s own team, joining daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even the codebase. The United Kingdom, with its mature game‑development ecosystem, proves especially conducive to this collaborative approach.
In the past, external studios might have been reluctant partners, but today many firms actively seek varied projects to keep their talent fresh and motivated. Webster believes this hybrid model allows a studio to deliver AAA‑scale scope, scale and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget.
The speed of Galactic Racer’s development underscores the viability of this approach. Fuse was founded in January 2023; three and a half years later they have built a studio, assembled a team, and created a game on Unreal Engine 5 – a technology none of them had mastered at the outset. "It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," Webster said. A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the infusion of younger developers.
Some team members, including one producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. "Our young talent is incredibly smart and effective, often surpassing what I could have done at that age," Webster remarked. He observed that seasoned veterans sometimes prefer to work with senior colleagues who need little guidance, which can stifle mentorship. By focusing on nurturing younger staff, Fuse has discovered a fresh source of energy and innovation.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue. He cites Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model and stresses that developing talent comes with a cost that must be recognized.
Reflecting on the era when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalled how many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected. He argued that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than idolizing a single “creative visionary,” a notion he called “bullshit.” In his view, games are always the product of collaborative effort. As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible. "The launch is just the beginning," Webster said.
"We’ll be talking to partners about future opportunities, and we have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent developer you have to stay adaptable."