Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under 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 a new independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is preparing to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly autonomous 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 time when the racing genre has generally slipped out of the spotlight. 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 simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted to the Battlefield franchise, underscoring the perception that pure‑speed games are losing commercial traction. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable market for a Star Wars racing experience.
“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 feedback we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming trends are cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other genres inevitably rise again, especially as the overall pool of gamers expands. “Even the tiniest niche can find a larger audience when more people play video games,” he explained. 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 team set out to capture the instant gratification of an arcade racer while also asking, "What can we do when we’re not limited by tyres and tarmac?" The answer includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other gravity‑defying stunts that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to upend long‑standing racing conventions. Traditionally, racing games have relied on a car‑collection model that has changed little in two decades. Webster wants to rip that formula 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 erases any penalty, but Galactic Racer restores risk: repeated crashes can send a player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a sense of forward momentum even after a setback.
This design draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire, which emphasize infinite replayability—a natural fit for a racing game where each run can feel fresh. The consequence system forces players to weigh risk versus reward, especially when they are on their final allowed crash and the race is at a critical juncture. "When you’re on your last crash and you’re in a system‑critical zone, you lean forward and start thinking about the risk you’re taking," Webster said.
This approach marks a departure from the hand‑holding common in many AAA releases, but it also differentiates the title in a crowded market that will soon see heavyweight launches like GTA 6, Control: Resonance, and Silent Hill: Townfall. Webster acknowledges the competitive calendar but remains confident. He recalls past years when September felt packed, yet developers still managed to release successful games in October—a period he now calls “murderers’ row.” He believes Fuse Games approaches the launch with a “healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out.” When discussing industry layoffs, Webster reflects on his long tenure and notes a recurring pattern: great teams make great games, and great games find audiences. He observes a current aversion to risk among larger publishers, which he sees as an opening for studios willing to make calculated bets.
However, securing funding for an independent studio in 2023 proved challenging. After 32 years at EA, Webster found himself navigating a new landscape where investors questioned the wisdom of backing a small, independent team. Fuse Games deliberately kept its core staff small—around 75 people—avoiding the boom‑and‑bust scaling model that many AAA studios employ. Instead, the studio leverages external partners for both transactional asset creation and deeper co‑development, integrating outside teams into daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and codebases.
The UK’s mature development ecosystem makes this model especially viable, as many companies now welcome collaboration rather than viewing it as a compromise. Webster believes 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 complete UE5‑based game in just three and a half years—demonstrates the effectiveness of the model. A notable aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on young talent.
Alongside veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has hired many newcomers, even a producer with no prior gaming experience. Webster praises the fresh perspectives these younger developers bring, stating they often outperform more senior hires in creativity and efficiency.
He argues that nurturing junior staff benefits both the mentors and the mentees, fostering a collaborative culture that outweighs the traditional reliance on senior “hero” developers. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to establish a formal internship program, drawing inspiration from Criterion’s successful intern pipelines. He admits the studio is still pre‑revenue, but he is optimistic that investing in talent development will pay dividends in the long run.
Reflecting on a time when the industry was flush with capital, Webster notes that many well‑funded studios were founded by individuals who rode the wave of a single hit, only to discover that building a sustainable studio is far harder than it appears. He dismisses the myth of the solitary creative visionary, calling it “bullshit” and emphasizing that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster says the launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning.
The studio is already brainstorming future projects, but as an independent developer, flexibility and adaptability remain paramount. He concludes with a hopeful note: “Good games will find a way, and we’re ready to keep pushing forward.”