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 collaborating with Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and the Need for Speed series, after EA acquired the developer in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster decided to step away from the corporate behemoth. Together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, he co‑founded the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher 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 the racing genre has struggled to maintain mainstream appeal. Recent industry news underscores this trend: Amazon withdrew from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer.
Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing, now pouring its resources into the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster is convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars‑styled 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 tapping into a genuine demand.” He points out that entertainment genres are cyclical. While shooters have dominated the past decade, other categories inevitably rise again as the overall player base expands.
“As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” Webster explained. Webster believes gamers are looking for fresh, compelling experiences that feel novel.
He argues that Galactic Racer aims to deliver exactly that: an arcade‑style thrill ride that also pushes the boundaries of what a racing game can be when it isn’t confined to realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he said, describing courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits. Beyond the high‑octane visuals, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Most racers rely on a car‑collection model that has changed little for two decades.
Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other game types. One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the penalty of a mistake, but Webster wants crashes to matter. “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,” he explained.
This risk‑reward loop is inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability, so mixing it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven,” he added. The consequence system forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their last allowed crash. “When you’re on the edge, you start to feel the weight of the risk you’re taking,” Webster said, noting that this design choice is a deliberate move away from the hand‑holding common in many AAA releases.
Timing the launch is also a strategic decision. Galactic Racer is set for release on October 6, giving it a comfortable buffer before the highly anticipated GTA 6 drops on November 19, yet still landing after major September releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall.
Webster acknowledges that the pre‑holiday window is traditionally crowded, but he draws on his own experience from earlier eras when October was considered “murderer’s row.” He says Fuse Games approaches the competition with a “healthy sense of confidence” balanced by a realistic outlook: “Good games will find a way,” he remarked, echoing a mantra that has guided him through industry ups and downs. Speaking on the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector, Webster reflects on his long tenure and the previous layoff cycle fifteen years ago.
He sees a pattern: great teams make great games, and great games find audiences. Yet he also observes a growing aversion to risk among publishers, which he believes creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit your own chances,” he warned.
Running an independent studio in 2023 has not been without challenges. Securing funding proved difficult; many questioned the wisdom of launching a new studio in a tight market. Webster described the experience as a steep learning curve after 32 years inside EA’s protective bubble. He emphasized core principles that guided Fuse: building a strong, motivated team; refining a clear creative vision; and maintaining disciplined planning while staying adaptable.
“The plan is always wrong, but it’s the best version you have today,” he said. Fuse’s team remains relatively small for a title with AAA ambitions—about 75 people.
This size is intentional, allowing the studio to avoid the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues many developers. Instead, Fuse relies heavily on external partners to fill gaps, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development where external studios sit in on stand‑ups, Slack channels and even share codebases. Webster highlighted the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, grudging assistance to enthusiastic, value‑aligned partnerships. According to Webster, this hybrid model enables a studio to deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget.
The rapid development timeline—just three and a half years from founding to a near‑complete UE5‑powered game—demonstrates the viability of the approach. “We started Fuse in January 2023, and now we have a studio, a team, and a game built on an engine none of us previously knew,” he said proudly.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of young talent alongside veteran developers. Some team members, including one producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster expressed genuine admiration for this new generation: “They are smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age. We’ve had greater success with our young developers than with some of the senior hires we brought in.” He observed that seasoned developers often prefer working with peers who need little guidance, which can stifle mentorship opportunities.
By contrast, nurturing junior staff creates a mutually motivating environment. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and financially cautious. He cites Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model and acknowledges the cost and effort required to develop talent responsibly. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalled how many successful teams received funding to spin off their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected.
He criticized the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the “singular creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always the product of collaborative effort, not the vision of a lone genius. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being charted.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas. He emphasizes that independence demands flexibility and adaptability, qualities he believes will guide Fuse through the ever‑changing landscape of game development.