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 working on the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises after EA acquired Criterion in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent 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 moment when the racing genre has largely slipped out of the mainstream spotlight.
Amazon recently walked away 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 pure racing, now pouring its resources into the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand still exists.
“We clearly see an audience 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 and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types inevitably resurface. “As more and more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” he explains.
He believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that fresh feeling. The studio’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer bound 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, turning a race into a roller‑coaster‑like thrill ride. But the ambition goes beyond visual spectacle. Webster says the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions, especially the familiar car‑collection model that has dominated the genre for the past two decades.
“Let’s rip that up and steal ideas from other genres,” he declares. One of those borrowed ideas is the notion of meaningful consequence, a concept often diluted in modern racers by the presence of rewind mechanics. In Galactic Racer, crashing carries weight.
Too many crashes send the player back to the start, though a portion of meta‑progression is retained, placing the racer in a stronger position for the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they are on their final allowable crash. Webster also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," he notes, "so combining it with roguelike design creates a match made in heaven." The result is a game that encourages repeated runs, each offering a slightly different strategic landscape, thereby extending longevity far beyond a traditional arcade racer.
Releasing a new IP in a crowded calendar is a bold move, particularly with Rockstar’s GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer’s launch on October 6 positions it a few weeks ahead of that juggernaut, yet still after other major releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.
Webster acknowledges the density of the schedule but reminds us that the industry has weathered even busier periods before. "People used to call September ‘Murderer’s Row,’ and October was always packed," he says, emphasizing that confidence tempered with realism is essential. The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Webster, who has witnessed a similar contraction fifteen years ago, believes great teams still make great games, and great games still find audiences.
He argues that a pervasive aversion to risk is limiting opportunity, and that those willing to take calculated bets can thrive. However, he admits that founding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Securing funding was a major hurdle, with many questioning the wisdom of launching a new studio after a 32‑year tenure at EA. Webster’s response was to lean on core principles: build a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, maintain disciplined planning (while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve), and continuously motivate the talent.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 people – a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague larger studios. Instead, the studio augments its capabilities through external development partners. This model ranges from pure outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development, where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels and even contribute directly to the code base. Webster highlights the UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today many companies are eager to work on varied projects, keeping their staff fresh and motivated.
According to Webster, this hybrid approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget without the massive, ever‑changing internal workforce traditionally associated with big‑budget titles. The speed of Galactic Racer’s development underscores this point: Fuse launched in January 2023, and just three and a half years later they have built a studio, assembled a team, and shipped a game built on Unreal Engine 5 – an engine none of them had prior experience with. He describes the accomplishment as both impressive and sustainable. A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is the infusion of young talent alongside industry veterans.
Some of the producers on Galactic Racer had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster praises this fresh perspective, saying the younger developers often outperform older colleagues in creativity and efficiency. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior co‑workers who require minimal interaction, a mindset that can stifle mentorship.
By pivoting hiring practices toward nurturing younger staff, Fuse hopes to build a pipeline of talent, eventually establishing an intern program modeled after Criterion’s successful initiatives. Though the studio is still pre‑revenue, Webster believes the long‑term payoff of investing in emerging developers outweighs short‑term financial concerns. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how many successful teams were handed funding to start their own studios, only to discover the challenges were far greater than anticipated.
He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In reality, games are collaborative endeavors involving dozens, if not hundreds, of contributors. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains flexible. While the launch of Galactic Racer marks a significant milestone, the studio is already contemplating future opportunities and potential directions.
Webster emphasizes that independent developers must stay adaptable in a rapidly shifting market. "We’ve talked about the launch being just the start," he says. "We have ideas about where we want to go next, but we’ll have to remain open to whatever the market presents."