Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the legendary Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch Fuse Games, an independent studio based in the United Kingdom.
Just three and a half years later, Fuse is on the brink of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, a project that will be published by the newly autonomous Secret Mode. The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002 – a full twenty‑four years ago.
In the intervening decades, the racing genre has lost some of its mainstream sheen. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t seem to need another racing experience.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus from pure racing to the massive Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand still exists.
“We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community, the people who watch our videos and read our articles, tells us we’re not alone in that belief.” Webster argues that video‑game genres are cyclical. “We went through a phase where shooters dominated everything,” he notes, “but that’s not the only cycle. As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger fan base.” 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 fresh take.
The design philosophy behind the game leans heavily into arcade‑style instant gratification while also asking, "What can we do when we’re no longer limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?" The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and environments that would be impossible in a conventional simulation. Yet the ambition does not stop at spectacle.
*Galactic Racer* also aims to upend long‑standing genre conventions. Traditional racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades, a formula Webster describes as "ripe for ripping up". He wants to borrow mechanics from other genres, especially those that emphasize meaningful consequence and replayability.
One of the most striking innovations is the game’s approach to crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for mistakes, effectively erasing consequences. Webster wants to re‑introduce stakes: "If 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," he explains.
This mirrors the design of roguelikes such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, which are built for infinite replay loops. Racing, by nature, thrives on repeated runs, so merging it with roguelike persistence creates “a match made in heaven,” according to Webster. The risk‑vs‑reward tension is meant to keep players on edge. When you’re down to your last allowed crash, you must weigh the danger of pushing harder against the safety of a more conservative approach.
This design choice represents a deliberate move away from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles. From a market perspective, the launch window is strategically placed. *Galactic Racer* is slated for October 6, comfortably ahead of the highly anticipated *GTA 6* release on November 19, yet close enough to benefit from the heightened consumer attention surrounding other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24.
Webster acknowledges that the pre‑holiday calendar is traditionally crowded, but he points out that the industry has always navigated “murderer’s row” periods, and a confident team can still carve out space. The conversation inevitably turns to the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through many studios. Webster, who has witnessed similar cut‑backs a decade and a half ago, sees a pattern: great teams create great games, and great games find audiences.
He argues that an aversion to risk is stifling innovation, and that those willing to take calculated bets can thrive. However, he also admits that securing funding for a new independent studio in 2023 has been challenging.
After thirty‑two years at EA, he found himself stepping out of a bubble and learning the hard way how to build a sustainable operation: assemble a talented core, refine a clear creative vision, stay disciplined, and remain adaptable. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team—about 75 people—by design.
Rather than inflating and deflating staff numbers, the studio relies heavily on external development partners to fill skill gaps. This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage, noting that today’s studios are eager to collaborate across projects, keeping talent fresh and motivated.
According to Webster, this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game—judged by scope, visual fidelity, and production values—can be delivered on a more sustainable budget when a small, permanent core is complemented by trusted external partners. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* serves as proof: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years they have built a studio, assembled a team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and produced a polished title. A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its emphasis on younger developers. While the studio includes seasoned Criterion veterans, many of its team members are fresh faces, some even new to the industry.
One producer, for instance, had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster praises this infusion of youthful energy, stating that the younger talent often outperforms senior hires in both creativity and efficiency. He believes that nurturing junior staff not only accelerates innovation but also creates a more engaging workplace for everyone involved. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must manage costs carefully.
He reflects on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital and many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover the harsh realities of running a business. He criticizes the lingering myth of the "single creative visionary" as "bullshit," emphasizing that games are collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains fluid. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio is open to exploring new opportunities while staying adaptable—a necessary mindset for independent developers navigating an ever‑changing market.