Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He first joined EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years working on iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster and several former Criterion colleagues—Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant—decided to strike out on their own, founding the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio stands 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 lost much of its mainstream momentum. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with UK studio Maverick Games for its upcoming driving game Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t seem to fit the product. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects to focus on the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster is convinced that a demand still exists. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing experience,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones believing that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical.
“We’ve had a period where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the whole story,” he said. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger following.” He believes players are hungry for fresh, compelling experiences that feel new, and he feels Galactic Racer delivers on that promise.
“Our vision is to create something that feels fresh and exciting,” he added. The team at Fuse set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re not limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits. Yet the ambition goes beyond spectacle.
Webster says the game deliberately subverts a long‑standing convention in racing titles: the endless car‑collection loop that has persisted for two decades. “Let’s rip that up and borrow ideas from other genres,” he declared.
One of those borrowed ideas is the notion of meaningful consequence. In many modern racers, a rewind mechanic erases the impact of a crash, making failure feel inconsequential. Galactic Racer reintroduces stakes: crashing too often sends the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing the racer in a stronger position the next attempt.
“When you’re on your last crash and the system is critical, you really feel the risk,” Webster explained. This design philosophy draws inspiration from 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,” he said.
Launching the game on October 6 positions it a comfortable distance from the blockbuster release of GTA 6 on November 19, yet still amid a busy autumn window that includes titles like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both due September 24). Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but notes that the industry has faced even tighter pre‑Christmas schedules in the past. “People used to call September ‘Murderer’s Row,’ and October was packed as well,” he recalled.
“We have a healthy confidence, tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflected on his long tenure. He remembers a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago and emphasizes a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find their audience.
He argues that the current climate shows a pervasive aversion to risk, which paradoxically creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances,” he warned. Funding, however, has not been easy for an independent studio launched in 2023.
“People thought we were brave—maybe even reckless—to start an indie studio now,” Webster said. After three decades at EA, he found himself outside the familiar bubble and had to lean on core principles: building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. “Engaged, motivated talent is the engine of great work,” he asserted.
Fuse Games remains relatively small for a title of AAA ambition, employing roughly 75 people. This size is intentional; the studio avoids the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues many larger developers. Instead, Fuse leans heavily on external partners to fill skill gaps.
“We keep a lean core and bring in trusted collaborators who share our values,” Webster explained. These partners range from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full‑scale co‑development where external studios sit in on stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share the code base.
The UK, with its mature development ecosystem, proves especially fertile for such collaborations. “In the past, studios would only help out grudgingly, but now there are companies eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their staff fresh and excited.” Webster believes this hybrid model—small permanent team plus flexible external support—offers a sustainable path to producing AAA‑level experiences on a reasonable budget. The rapid development of Galactic Racer illustrates the model’s efficacy: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and just three and a half years later the team had assembled a studio, hired talent, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a polished, high‑fidelity game.
“It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way,” he said. A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the infusion of younger developers. Several members, including one producer, had never previously worked in games.
“Our young talent is incredibly smart and effective—often more so than I was at their age,” Webster remarked. He observed that seasoned veterans sometimes prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, a dynamic that can stifle growth.
By nurturing junior staff, Fuse not only boosts morale but also discovers fresh perspectives that drive innovation. Webster hopes to formalize this approach with an internship program, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must manage costs carefully.
He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model he’d like to emulate. Looking back to a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many developers received funding to start their own studios after a hit title, only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated. He argues that money should have been allocated to strong teams rather than to a mythic “single creative visionary.” “That narrative is nonsense,” he said.
“Games are built by collaborations of individuals.” As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster admits plans are still taking shape. “The launch is just the beginning,” he said. “We’ll be talking to partners about new opportunities, and we have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent studio we need to stay flexible and adaptable.”