Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He arrived at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for the Criterion studio that EA acquired in 2004, including entries in the Burnout and Need for Speed series. In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with former Criterion colleagues—Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant—to launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling studio is preparing to ship 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, *Racer Revenge* (2002). In the intervening period, the racing genre has struggled to maintain mainstream appeal. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing deal with Maverick Games for its 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 toward the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing game. “We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told *GamesIndustry.biz*. “Our community feedback and the interest we get from videos and articles suggest we’re not alone in thinking there’s a market.” Webster points out that gaming trends are cyclical.
While shooters have dominated the past decade, other genres inevitably rise again as the player base expands. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find larger audiences,” he explains. He believes gamers are craving fresh, compelling experiences that feel novel, and he sees *Galactic Racer* as delivering exactly that.
The design philosophy behind the game is rooted in classic arcade thrills but pushes the concept beyond conventional limits. Fuse wanted to capture the instant gratification of arcade racing while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer bound by the physics of tyres and tarmac?” The answer includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that behave like roller‑coasters, and other gravity‑defying set‑pieces that would be impossible in a realistic simulation.
Beyond the high‑octane spectacle, *Galactic Racer* deliberately subverts long‑standing genre conventions. Most racing games have relied on a static car‑collection model for two decades. Webster argues it’s time to tear that model up and borrow mechanics from other genres. One such borrowing comes from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*.
The game emphasizes consequential decision‑making: crashes are no longer merely cosmetic setbacks that can be undone with a rewind button. Instead, each crash pushes the player closer to a reset, though some meta‑progression carries over, rewarding careful risk assessment.
“When you’re on your last crash and the system is critical, you actually feel the tension,” Webster notes, highlighting the psychological weight that traditional racers often lack. This approach represents a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases. Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape, especially with heavyweight titles like *GTA 6* slated for a November 19 launch. *Galactic Racer* is set to drop on October 6, comfortably before the blockbuster but still within a busy release window that includes *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24.
He recalls past years when September felt crowded, yet developers still managed successful launches, citing the industry’s long‑standing “murderers’ row” of October releases. Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations.
When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his own long tenure. He remembers a similar contraction fifteen years ago and stresses a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find their audiences. He observes a current aversion to risk among publishers, which he sees as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re unwilling to risk, you limit opportunity,” he says.
Funding, however, has been a hurdle for the newly independent studio. In 2023, many observers thought starting an indie studio was a gamble. Webster admits the learning curve was steep after leaving EA’s protective bubble.
He emphasizes core principles: assembling a talented team, sharpening a creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. Engaged and motivated talent, he argues, is the engine that drives exceptional outcomes. Fuse’s team remains relatively small—about 75 people—for a project with AAA ambitions.
This size is intentional; the studio avoids the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle by relying heavily on external development partners. Outsourcing handles transactional asset creation, while co‑development partners act as extensions of the core team, joining daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories. The UK’s mature development ecosystem, Webster notes, makes such collaboration especially effective, as companies now eagerly work on varied projects rather than clinging to a single internal product. Webster believes this hybrid model—small permanent core plus trusted external partners—offers a sustainable path to AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity without ballooning budgets.
The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* supports this claim: Fuse launched in January 2023, and three and a half years later it has delivered a full‑featured game built on Unreal Engine 5, a technology none of the founders initially mastered. A notable aspect of the studio’s culture is its investment in younger talent. Alongside veteran Criterion alumni, Fuse has recruited many developers early in their careers, even hiring a producer with no prior game‑industry experience.
Webster praises this fresh perspective, stating that the younger team members often outperform older counterparts in creativity and efficiency. He also observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, which can stifle mentorship.
Fuse has therefore pivoted its hiring strategy to prioritize nurturing emerging talent. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program, drawing inspiration from Criterion’s successful intern pipelines.
He admits the studio is still pre‑revenue, but he remains optimistic that a structured talent pipeline will pay dividends in the long run. Reflecting on the industry’s past over‑investment in “superstar” creators, he dismisses the myth of the lone visionary as “bullshit,” insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning; the team is already exploring future opportunities, but as an independent developer they must stay adaptable to shifting market conditions. In Webster’s words, “Good games will find a way, and we’re hoping ours does too.”