Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the umbrella of Criterion, a studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster joined forces with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is preparing to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly autonomous 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 time when racing games have generally lost some of their mainstream appeal. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis commenting that the market didn’t seem to have room for another driving game. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects to focus on the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster is convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community of fans, the people who watch our videos and read our articles, tell us they’re excited – we’re not alone in thinking this.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical. “Shooters dominated for a while, but that doesn’t mean other genres can’t resurface. As more people play games, even the tiniest niche can grow into a sizable market.” Webster believes players are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do once we’re no longer bound by the physics of tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other over‑the‑top environments that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to upend long‑standing racing conventions. Most racing titles have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades; Webster wants to tear that apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
He explains that Galactic Racer is built around meaningful decision‑making, using crashes as a concrete example. In many modern racers a “rewind” button erases the penalty for crashing, but Fuse wants to restore consequence: “If you crash too often, you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position. When you’re on your last allowed crash, you feel the tension and have to weigh the risk.” The design philosophy draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games engineered for infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replay value, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster says.
Each run encourages players to experiment with different ship builds, shortcuts and risk‑taking strategies, turning each race into a fresh puzzle rather than a static time‑trial. Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands well before the highly anticipated GTA 6, slated for November 19, but after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24).
Webster acknowledges that the pre‑holiday window is traditionally crowded. “People always say September looks busy, but I remember the ‘Murderer’s Row’ era when October was packed. The market is competitive, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by realism.” He reflects on the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, noting that great teams create great games, and great games find audiences. “There’s a growing aversion to risk, which actually opens opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets.
If you play it safe, you limit yourself.” Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been far from easy. “People told me I was brave to start a studio now,” Webster recalls. After 32 years at EA, he had to relearn how to build a company from the ground up. His guiding principles remain simple: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, craft a disciplined plan (knowing it will evolve), and stay true to core values.
Engaged and motivated talent, he says, is the engine that drives great games. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 staff members—by design. Rather than inflating and deflating the workforce, the studio leans on external partners to fill gaps.
This hybrid model blends pure outsourcing (transactional asset creation) with deep co‑development, where partner studios sit in Fuse’s daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and code repositories. Webster points out that the UK’s mature development ecosystem makes it an ideal hub for such collaboration, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, grudging assistance to enthusiastic, value‑aligned partnerships. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale project can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small permanent team is augmented by trusted external contributors.
The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a full‑blown UE5‑powered title in just three and a half years—demonstrates the model’s viability. The studio’s roster blends veteran Criterion alumni with a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before. “Our young talent is incredibly smart and effective—often more so than I was at their age,” Webster says.
He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal mentorship, but that nurturing junior staff creates a more dynamic, motivated environment. The studio is even considering an internship program to formalise this pipeline, though Webster cautions that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality. Looking back to the mid‑2010s, when the industry was flush with capital, Webster remembers how many successful teams were given funding to spin out their own studios, only to discover that building a sustainable business is far tougher than it appears.
He criticises the lingering myth of the “lone creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative creations, and success depends on strong teams, not singular geniuses. As for Fuse’s future, Webster admits the path is still being charted. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the first chapter; the studio is open to exploring new opportunities and ideas, but remains mindful that independence requires flexibility and adaptability.
He concludes with a hopeful note: “Good games will find a way. We’re hoping ours does too."