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 developing titles for the Burnout and Need for Speed franchise under Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate behemoth and launch their own independent studio in the United Kingdom, Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing 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 moment when traditional racing games have struggled to maintain mainstream appeal. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the project didn’t seem to fit the current market.
Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing, devoting its resources to the Battlefield franchise instead. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that way, and the reaction we see from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” Webster said. He 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 design philosophy behind Galactic Racer is rooted in the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers, but the team also wanted to explore what becomes possible when you’re not constrained by realistic tyres and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” Webster explained. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” These over‑the‑top environments are meant to provide the kind of high‑octane thrills that arcade fans love, while also pushing the genre’s boundaries.
Beyond the visual spectacle, the game challenges long‑standing conventions of racing titles. Most racing games for the past two decades have revolved around car collection and incremental upgrades. Webster wants to “rip that up” and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for mistakes, but Galactic Racer re‑introduces risk: crash too often and you’re sent back to the start, though you retain a portion of meta‑progress that makes your next attempt slightly stronger. This creates a tension similar to that found in roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, games built around infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster noted.
The consequence system forces players to weigh risk versus reward. When you’re on your final allowed crash and the race is nearing a critical point, you have to decide whether to push harder or play it safe. This “hand‑holding‑free” approach marks a departure from the safety nets typical of AAA titles, but Webster believes it will help the game stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Timing the launch is another strategic consideration. Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, a comfortable window before the highly anticipated GTA 6 launch on November 19, yet close enough to benefit from the heightened consumer attention surrounding major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both arriving on September 24. Webster acknowledges that September and October have historically been busy months for game launches, recalling the industry’s old nickname “Murderer’s Row” for a packed October schedule. He remains confident, however, emphasizing a “healthy sense of confidence” balanced with a realistic outlook on how the market might respond.
The conversation inevitably turned to the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through major studios. Webster, who has witnessed a similar contraction about fifteen years ago, observes that great teams make great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that the current risk‑averse environment actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re unwilling to risk, you limit your own opportunities,” he said.
Running an independent studio in 2023 has not been without its hurdles. Funding access is a constant challenge, and many observers expressed surprise that Webster would venture out after a 32‑year tenure at EA.
He describes the transition as stepping out of a bubble and applying the principles he’d learned: building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while recognizing that any plan will inevitably evolve. He stresses that an engaged, motivated team is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse Games is deliberately keeping its core team small—around 75 people—rather than scaling up and down in the way many AAA studios do.
Instead, they rely heavily on external development partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios participate in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share the code base. Webster highlights the UK’s mature game development ecosystem as particularly conducive to this collaborative approach, noting that today’s studios are eager to work on varied projects with different partners, keeping talent fresh and motivated.
According to Webster, this model proves that a AAA‑scale game can be produced on a sustainable budget when a compact core team is augmented by trusted partners who share the same values. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a finished product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on younger talent. While the studio includes several Criterion veterans, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry; one producer, for example, had never worked in games before joining the project.
Webster praises the fresh perspectives and efficiency of these younger team members, suggesting that they have often outperformed more senior hires. He believes that nurturing young talent not only benefits the individuals but also energizes the entire team, creating a virtuous cycle of motivation and innovation. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop emerging talent, though he acknowledges that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs involved.
He reflects on a period a few years ago when the industry was flush with capital, noting that many developers received funding to start their own studios based on a single hit game. In hindsight, he feels that money would have been better allocated to strong, collaborative teams rather than to the myth of the solitary creative visionary—a notion he calls “fucking bullshit.” As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster admits the roadmap is still taking shape. The launch will be just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and partnerships.
Flexibility and adaptability, he says, are essential for independent developers navigating today’s volatile market. In summary, Matt Webster’s journey from a long‑standing EA veteran to the founder of an agile, youth‑driven studio illustrates a broader shift in the gaming industry: a move away from monolithic development structures toward leaner, collaborative models that can still deliver AAA‑level experiences. With Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Fuse Games aims to prove that there is still appetite for niche, genre‑blending titles, that risk‑taking can be rewarded, and that the next wave of great games may come from small, passionate teams supported by a network of trusted external partners.