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 Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the Criterion umbrella, a studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent UK studio called Fuse Games.
Fast‑forward three and a half years, and 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. In the intervening years, the racing genre has generally lost steam.
Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating, “we didn’t see a real fit in the market for that game.” Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has pivoted to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“We’re not the only ones who feel that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” Webster points out that genres are cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types inevitably resurface. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” he explains.
He believes players are craving “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before,” and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re not limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano and sections that feel like roller‑coasters, pushing the sense of speed and spectacle beyond realistic roadways. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditionally, racing games revolve around car collection—a formula that hasn’t changed much in two decades. Webster wants to tear that model 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 erases any penalty, but Fuse wants crashes to matter. “When you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression,” Webster explains. “That lingering consequence forces players to weigh risk versus reward, especially when they’re on their last life.” The game’s design also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability,” Webster notes, “so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven.” Each run offers a fresh arrangement of hazards, power‑ups, and shortcuts, encouraging players to experiment and improve over successive attempts.
Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with blockbuster releases like GTA 6 looming. Galactic Racer is slated for October 6, a comfortable gap before GTA 6’s November 19 launch, yet it still lands near other high‑profile titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both arriving on September 24.
“September always looks busy,” he says, recalling the old industry term “Murderer’s Row” for a packed October. “We have a healthy confidence, but we stay realistic about how things might turn out.” The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Webster, who has witnessed a similar contraction a decade and a half ago, believes great teams produce great games, and great games find their audience. He argues that a pervasive aversion to risk is limiting creativity, and that those willing to take calculated bets will reap opportunities.
“If you’re not willing to risk, you limit what you can achieve,” he says. Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy.
Funding was scarce, and many questioned the wisdom of launching a new venture after a 32‑year tenure at EA. Webster’s answer was to lean on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning while accepting that plans will evolve.
He emphasizes the importance of engaging and motivating talent, noting that a motivated team can produce extraordinary results. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 people—by design. Rather than inflating the staff size and later shrinking it, the studio relies heavily on external development partners to fill skill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the codebase.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their workforce fresh and motivated. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be built on a sustainable budget when a small permanent core is supplemented by trusted partners who share the same values. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates the viability of the model.
A noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s roster is the infusion of young talent alongside veteran Criterion alumni. Some team members, including a producer, have never worked in games before. “Our young developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age,” Webster admits. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, but nurturing younger staff creates a more dynamic and motivated environment.
He hopes to formalize an internship program in the future, though the studio remains pre‑revenue and must first achieve financial stability. Reflecting on the industry’s past focus on “superstar” creators, Webster dismisses the notion of a single visionary as “fucking bullshit.” He argues that games are always collaborative endeavors, and that funding should target strong teams rather than individual personalities. This philosophy underpins Fuse’s commitment to collective creativity and shared ownership.
Looking ahead, Fuse Games does not have a fixed roadmap beyond Galactic Racer’s launch. The studio plans to treat the release as a springboard, staying flexible and open to new opportunities that align with its values. As Webster puts it, “We’ll talk to people about potential collaborations, and we have ideas for where we want to go, but as an independent developer you have to stay adaptable.” In summary, Matt Webster believes that the convergence of a growing global gaming audience, a willingness to experiment with genre conventions, and a sustainable development model that blends a tight core team with external partners positions Star Wars: Galactic Racer to capture both nostalgic fans and newcomers seeking fresh, high‑energy experiences.
The studio’s confidence, tempered by realism, reflects a broader industry shift toward risk‑taking, collaborative creation, and the empowerment of the next generation of developers.