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 contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, which EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up 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 poised to release its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The new game arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing experience, the 2002 *Racer Revenge*. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has lost some of its mainstream momentum.
Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market didn’t appear to fit the project. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from pure racing and is now more closely associated with the *Battlefield* series.
Despite those signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists for a Star Wars racing game. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“We’re not the only ones who think that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical: “Shooters dominated for a while, but that’s only one part of the picture. As more people play games, even the smallest niches can attract larger follow‑ups.” Webster believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers on that promise.
The studio set out to capture the instant‑gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when a game is no longer tied to realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “It feels like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond the arcade thrills, the game is designed to upend long‑standing racing conventions. Most racing titles rely on a car‑collection model that has changed little in two decades.
Webster wants to tear that framework apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers a rewind button nullifies mistakes, but *Galactic Racer* reinstates risk: too many crashes send you back to the start, though you retain some meta‑progression that puts you 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 allowed crash.
The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*, which are built for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike principles creates a perfect match." The game’s structure encourages players to experiment, learn from failures, and return stronger, echoing the iterative loops found in those acclaimed roguelikes. Timing the launch is another strategic decision. *Galactic Racer* is slated for release on October 6, well before the highly anticipated *GTA 6* drops on November 19, yet after other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24.
Webster acknowledges the crowded pre‑holiday calendar but points out that the industry has weathered even busier periods before. "People used to call September ‘Murderers’ Row’ and October was packed," he recalls, emphasizing that a confident yet realistic outlook is essential. The conversation inevitably turns to the broader industry climate, especially recent waves of layoffs. Webster, who has witnessed a similar contraction fifteen years ago, sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games find their audience.
He argues that the current aversion to risk creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. "If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances," he says, urging developers to stay bold.
Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Webster describes the skepticism he faced when he left EA after 32 years: "People thought I was crazy to start an indie studio now." He stresses that the core principles he learned at EA—building a solid team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—remain vital, even if the plan is always provisional. Engaged, motivated talent, he believes, is the engine that drives quality. Fuse Games operates with a relatively small core team of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the typical "grow‑shrink‑grow" cycle that plagues many studios.
Instead, they supplement capabilities through external development partners. This model ranges from pure outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share the codebase.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s external studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their staff fresh and motivated. Webster is convinced this hybrid approach can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a UE5‑based game three and a half years later—demonstrates the model’s viability. He also emphasizes the infusion of young talent: many of the team members, including a producer with no prior game‑development experience, are newcomers.
"Our young developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," he says, adding that nurturing fresh talent has proven more successful than relying solely on senior hires. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to continue attracting emerging creators, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue.
He reflects on a previous era when successful games generated ample funding for spin‑off studios, only to discover that launching a new studio is far harder than it appears. He also critiques the industry’s lingering fascination with the myth of the solitary creative visionary, calling it "bullshit" and insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster admits the future is still being written. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and while the studio has ideas for subsequent projects, they remain flexible and ready to adapt to market conditions.
In a landscape dominated by blockbuster releases, Fuse Games aims to carve out its niche by delivering innovative, replay‑focused experiences that prove there’s still room for fresh voices in the racing genre.