Matt Webster appeared destined for a lifelong career at Electronic Arts. He entered the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for the Burnout and Need for Speed franchise 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 the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the studio stands on the brink of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The upcoming game arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing experience, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has struggled to maintain mainstream appeal. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a new driving title called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis commenting that the market simply didn’t have room for it.
Meanwhile Criterion itself has shifted focus from racing to the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists.
“We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community feedback and view‑counts suggest we’re not the only ones who think so.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably rise again as the player base widens. “The more people play games, the larger even the tiniest niches become,” he explained.
He believes gamers are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that. Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What could we do if we weren’t 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.
Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the studio is deliberately subverting long‑standing racing conventions. Most racers rely on a car‑collection model that has changed little in two decades.
Webster wants to tear that apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most radical departures is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers a rewind button nullifies mistakes, but *Galactic Racer* reinstates risk: repeated crashes send you back to the start, though you retain a portion of meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position on the next attempt. This creates a tension reminiscent of roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, which are built for infinite replayability.
“Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster said. The consequence system forces players to weigh risk versus reward, especially when they are on their final allowable crash.
“When you’re on the brink, you literally feel the pressure and start thinking about the gamble you’re taking,” he noted. This approach is a bold contrast to the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA games, but Webster argues it’s necessary to stand out in a crowded market—particularly in a year when blockbuster releases like *GTA VI* loom. *Galactic Racer* is slated for an October 6 launch, comfortably before the anticipated November 19 release of *GTA VI*, yet close enough to the September 24 drops of *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* to test Fuse’s ability to capture attention.
Webster acknowledges the competitive calendar but recalls that even busier periods have been navigated before. “People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row’ because it was packed with big titles. We have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might unfold,” he said.
When discussing industry layoffs, Webster reflects on his long tenure and the earlier wave of cuts fifteen years ago. He sees a pattern: great teams create great games, and great games find audiences. Yet today he observes a pervasive aversion to risk, which he believes creates openings for studios willing to gamble. “If you shy away from risk, you limit opportunity,” he warned.
Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without hurdles. Funding proved elusive; many questioned the wisdom of launching a new studio in a tight financial climate. Webster, who spent 32 years inside EA’s “bubble,” had to adapt his learned principles: assemble a strong team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that plans are always imperfect. He emphasizes that an engaged, motivated team is the engine behind any successful project.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 people—by design. Rather than expanding and contracting staff as projects ebb and flow, the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill skill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as ideal for such collaboration, noting that today’s external studios are eager to work on diverse projects, keeping their talent fresh and enthusiastic. According to Webster, this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game can be built on a sustainable budget when a small permanent team leverages trusted partners. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete product built on Unreal Engine 5, a technology none of the founders initially mastered—serves as proof of concept.
Another notable aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its investment in younger talent. While the studio includes several veterans from Criterion, many team members are fresh faces, and one producer had never worked in games before joining. “Our young developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age,” Webster said, expressing pride in their contributions. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, but nurturing junior talent can be equally motivating for all parties involved.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue. He cites Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as inspiration and acknowledges the cost of developing talent, emphasizing the need for realistic expectations. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period when successful games attracted abundant funding, allowing creators to spin off their own studios—often with mixed results.
He argues that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than idolizing a single “creative visionary,” a notion he calls “bullshit.” In his view, games are collaborative endeavors, not the product of lone geniuses. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still taking shape. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas. “Independent developers need to stay flexible and adaptable,” he concluded, underscoring the ethos that has guided Fuse from its inception to its imminent debut.