"As more gamers join, even the smallest niches attract larger audiences" – Why Matt Webster believes Star Wars: Galactic Racer will resonate

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 developing titles for the Burnout and Need for‑Speed franchise under 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 part ways and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a partnership with 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 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 itself has shifted focus away from racing to work on the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience.

“We clearly believe there’s a market for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response we get from people watching our videos or reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a period where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the only genre that can thrive. As more and more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience.” According to Webster, gamers are craving "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.

The studio’s vision is to create something fresh, an arcade‑style racer that also pushes the boundaries of what a racing game can be when it is no longer tethered to the constraints of real‑world tyres and tarmac. "Imagine tracks that climb the side of an active volcano or loop around a floating citadel," Webster explains. "It’s a roller‑coaster at times, but it’s also a race.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game aims to subvert long‑standing conventions of the genre.

Traditional racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades. Fuse wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.

One of the most striking innovations is the emphasis on consequential decision‑making, especially when a player crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for mistakes, but Webster wants to restore risk. "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 says.

"When you’re on your last allowed crash, you feel the weight of that decision and you start weighing the risk you’re taking." The design is heavily inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability, so combining it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," Webster notes.

The player’s progression carries over between runs, offering a sense of growth while still punishing reckless play. Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands a few weeks before the highly anticipated GTA 6 (due November 19) and shortly after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24). Webster acknowledges the crowded release window but reminds us that the industry has endured even busier pre‑Christmas schedules in the past.

"People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row’ because it was packed with big titles. We’re aware it’s competitive, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out," he says. Webster’s optimism is rooted in a broader industry observation.

He recalls the wave of layoffs that has swept through the sector and notes that great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. "What we’re seeing now is an aversion to risk, which actually creates opportunities for those willing to take calculated bets," he explains. "If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances of striking it big." Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. "People told me I was brave to start an indie studio this year," Webster laughs.

After 32 years at EA, stepping into a startup was a massive shift. He leans on principles he learned at EA: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, create a disciplined plan (knowing it will evolve), and stay true to core values. Engaged and motivated talent, he believes, is the engine that drives great games.

Fuse Games operates with a relatively small core team—about 75 people—by design. Rather than scaling the team up and down repeatedly, they rely on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends outsourcing (transactional asset creation) with co‑development, where external studios become extensions of the internal team, joining stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations.

"In the past, other studios would only help you reluctantly, but now there are companies eager to work on diverse projects with different teams, keeping everyone fresh and excited." The result, he says, is a sustainable way to produce a AAA‑scale game on a more manageable budget. The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a full‑blown UE5 title in just three and a half years—demonstrates that the model works. A notable aspect of Fuse’s approach is the blend of veteran expertise with fresh, young talent.

Many of the developers on Galactic Racer are newcomers; one producer had never worked in games before. "The younger talent we’ve hired is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age," Webster admits. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, which can stagnate growth.

By nurturing younger staff, Fuse not only fuels innovation but also creates a more dynamic workplace. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue.

He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model. "You have to go into it with eyes wide open and understand the cost of developing talent," he says. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with cash, Webster notes that many developers who received funding to start their own studios discovered how hard it truly is. He criticizes the industry’s past fixation on the “single creative visionary” myth, calling it "bullshit" and emphasizing that games are always collaborative efforts.

As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains open‑ended. "The launch is just the beginning for us," Webster says. "We’ll be talking to partners about potential opportunities, and we have ideas for where we want to go next, but as an independent studio we need to stay flexible and adaptable."