Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years working on iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed after Criterion, the original developer of those series, was acquired by EA in 2004.

Yet in early 2023 he, along with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate behemoth and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Three and a half 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 timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy.

The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002 – a full twenty‑four years ago. In the intervening period, the racing genre has struggled to maintain mainstream appeal. Recent headlines illustrate the shift: Amazon withdrew from a publishing agreement 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.

Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from racing, devoting its resources to the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a market exists for a new Star Wars racing experience.

“We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community, the people who watch our videos and read our articles, tells us we’re not the only ones who think this genre still has life.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical.

After a period dominated by shooters, other types inevitably re‑emerge. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” he added. Webster believes gamers are hungry for fresh, compelling experiences that break the mold of what they’ve seen before.

*Galactic Racer* aims to deliver exactly that. The studio deliberately embraced the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and environments that defy real‑world physics. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to overturn long‑standing racing conventions. Most racers have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades, a formula that Webster describes as “ready‑made and stale.” Instead, *Galactic Racer* borrows mechanics from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, focusing on infinite replayability and meaningful consequence.

In traditional arcade racers, a rewind button can erase mistakes, eroding any sense of risk. Fuse Games wants to bring consequence back: crashing repeatedly will reset the player to the start of the run, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a stronger foothold on the next attempt.

The tension of a limited number of crashes forces players to weigh risk versus reward, a design choice Webster says “makes each decision feel weighty.” Launching the game on October 6 places it in a crowded autumn window, sandwiched between the highly anticipated *GTA 6* (due November 19) and other major releases such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* (both September 24). Yet Webster is undaunted.

He recalls past industry chatter about “September being a murderers’ row” and points out that October has historically been just as busy. “We have a healthy confidence, balanced by a realistic view of how the market might respond,” he explained. “Good games find their audience.” The conversation inevitably turned to the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector. Having survived multiple cycles, Webster sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games attract players.

He warns that an industry averse to risk can stifle innovation, but also notes that those willing to take calculated bets can thrive. Funding, however, remains a hurdle for independent studios. “People told me it was brave to start an indie studio in 2023 after 32 years at EA,” he said. “The key is building a solid team, sharpening a creative vision, and staying disciplined while being ready to adapt.” Fuse Games operates with a core team of roughly 75 developers—a size more typical of a mid‑tier studio than a AAA powerhouse.

Webster deliberately avoided the classic “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that many large publishers endure. Instead, the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill skill gaps, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where outside studios attend daily stand‑ups, participate in Slack channels, and share code repositories. He highlights the United Kingdom as an ideal hub for this collaborative model, citing its mature development ecosystem and the willingness of companies to work across multiple projects rather than being locked into a single internal pipeline.

According to Webster, this hybrid approach enables a AAA‑level scope, visual fidelity, and production schedule without the unsustainable budgets that traditionally accompany such ambitions. The development timeline for *Galactic Racer* exemplifies this efficiency: Fuse Games was founded in January 2023, and by mid‑2026 the team had built a studio, assembled a workforce, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a polished, market‑ready product.

“It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way,” he said. A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its embrace of younger talent.

While the studio includes veterans from Criterion, many team members are fresh graduates or even individuals with no prior game‑development experience. One producer, for example, had never worked in the industry before joining the project.

Webster praises this infusion of new perspectives: “Our young talent is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age. We’ve seen greater success with them than with some senior hires.” He argues that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who need minimal guidance, which can limit mentorship opportunities.

By contrast, nurturing junior staff creates a reciprocal motivation that benefits the entire team. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship pipeline, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be cautious with resources. He points to Criterion’s historic intern programs as a model and stresses that developing talent comes with a cost that must be recognized from the outset. Reflecting on the era a few years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful developers were given funding to start their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated.

He criticizes the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “bullshit,” insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. “Unless you’re a solo developer, games are made by a collective of individuals,” he insists.

As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster admits the future is still being charted. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and directions.

Flexibility and adaptability, he says, are essential for independent developers navigating today’s volatile market.