Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure at EA in 1990 and, after nearly twenty years, helped shape iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed while working at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. Yet in early 2023 Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, chose a different path.
They launched Fuse Games, an independent studio based in the United Kingdom. Just over three years later the fledgling company is poised to release its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The timing of the launch is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002 – a full twenty‑four years ago. In the intervening period, traditional racing games have struggled to maintain mainstream appeal.
Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the 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 itself has shifted focus away from pure racing, devoting its resources 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 way, and the reaction we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that video‑game genres are inherently cyclical.
“We went through a phase where shooters dominated the market, but that’s just one phase. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable following.” Webster believes gamers are constantly searching for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that.
The team set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is a series of wildly imaginative tracks – one even climbs the side of an active volcano, offering a roller‑coaster‑like sensation. Beyond the visual spectacle, *Galactic Racer* seeks to upend several long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Traditional racing games have relied on a static car‑collection model for roughly two decades. Webster wants to “rip that up” and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One of the most striking innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind feature eliminates any penalty for mistakes, but Fuse wants to restore stakes: repeated crashes can send a player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a stronger foothold on the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop, he explains, forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they are on their final allowable crash.
The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*. Those games are built around infinite replayability, a quality that aligns naturally with racing, a genre that thrives on repeated runs and incremental improvement.
By marrying the procedural, high‑stakes elements of roguelikes with the speed‑and‑skill focus of racing, Fuse hopes to create a “match made in heaven.” Launching the game on October 6 places it in a competitive window. The much‑anticipated *Grand Theft Auto VI* is slated for November 19, while other high‑profile releases such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* arrived on September 24.
Yet Webster points out that crowded pre‑holiday schedules are nothing new. “People used to call September ‘murderer’s row,’ and October was always packed,” he recalls. He emphasizes that Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations. “Good games will find a way,” he says, echoing an industry maxim that has guided him through multiple cycles of layoffs and market contractions.
Speaking about the current wave of industry layoffs, Webster notes that risk‑averse behavior is limiting opportunities for bold projects. He argues that studios willing to take calculated risks can carve out space for innovative titles like *Galactic Racer*. However, he also acknowledges the difficulty of securing funding for an independent studio in 2023.
After thirty‑two years at EA, he found the transition to entrepreneurship “brutal,” but he leaned on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning while staying adaptable. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core staff of around 75 people – a deliberate choice to avoid the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues many larger studios.
Instead, the studio leverages external development partners to fill skill gaps. This model ranges from pure outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development where external teams sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share the code base.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage, noting that today’s UK studios are eager to collaborate rather than compete for every contract. According to Webster, this hybrid approach makes it possible to deliver a AAA‑scale experience on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline – Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years they have built a studio, assembled a team, and delivered a game built on Unreal Engine 5, a technology none of them previously mastered – serves as proof of concept. “It feels like an achievement,” he says, “and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way.” A notable aspect of the studio’s culture is its emphasis on youthful talent.
Alongside the Criterion veterans, Fuse has hired many younger developers, even bringing on a producer who had never worked in games before. Webster praises this influx: “They are smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age.
It’s extraordinary.” He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who require minimal mentorship, which can stifle growth. By contrast, nurturing young talent creates a reciprocal motivation that benefits the entire team.
Webster hopes to formalize this commitment through an intern program, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality. Reflecting on the era when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independence. He criticizes the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “fucking bullshit,” insisting that games are always the product of collaborative effort.
“Unless you’re a solo developer, games are made by collaborations of individuals,” he affirms. Looking ahead, Fuse Games does not have a rigid roadmap.
The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the first step, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities. “We have ideas about where we want to go next, but as an independent developer you have to stay flexible and adaptable,” Webster concludes, underscoring the balance between vision and pragmatism that defines Fuse’s approach to game development.