Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the iconic Burnout and Need for Speed series while they were under the Criterion umbrella, 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 an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Just over three years later, the fledgling studio is preparing to release its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the publishing banner of the newly autonomous Secret Mode. Galactic Racer marks the first Star Wars‑themed racing game since 2002’s Racer Revenge, a gap of roughly 24 years.
In the intervening period, the racing genre has struggled to retain 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 explaining that the product didn’t fit the market’s current appetite. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has pivoted toward the Battlefield franchise, signaling a broader industry shift away from pure racing experiences. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a viable audience for a Star Wars racing game.
“We clearly think there’s a market for a Star Wars racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community—people who watch our videos and read our articles—suggests we’re not the only ones who feel that way.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably re‑emerge. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience,” Webster added.
Webster believes gamers are hungry for fresh, compelling experiences they haven’t encountered before, and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that. The team set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what becomes possible when you detach the gameplay from the constraints of real‑world tyres and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
Traditionally, racers have relied on a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player mistakes, such as crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind feature nullifies any penalty, but Fuse wants to restore risk. “When you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that makes you slightly stronger,” he says.
“That lingering consequence forces you to weigh risk versus reward, especially when you’re on your last life.” The design philosophy draws inspiration from roguelike titles like Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built for infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster notes. Each run can yield new upgrades, alternate routes, or different vehicle configurations, encouraging players to experiment and improve over successive attempts.
Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is daring, especially with heavyweight releases such as GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer is set for an October 6 launch, sandwiched between September’s major drops like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall.
Yet he reminds us that busy release windows are nothing new. “People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row,’ and it was always packed,” he laughs.
“We have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how the market might respond.” The conversation naturally turned to the wave of industry layoffs. Having spent over three decades in the business, Webster reflects on a previous round of cuts fifteen years ago. “Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience,” he says. He observes a current aversion to risk among publishers, which paradoxically opens opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets.
“If you’re not willing to make bold choices, you limit your own potential,” he adds. Funding an independent studio in 2023 proved challenging.
“People told me I was brave for starting an indie studio now,” Webster recalls. After 32 years at EA, he stepped out of his comfort zone and leaned on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. “Engaged, motivated talent creates great things, so it’s our job to keep them inspired,” he emphasizes.
Fuse Games remains relatively small for a title with AAA ambitions, employing roughly 75 people. This deliberate size avoids the industry’s typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle. Instead, Fuse leverages external development partners to fill gaps, treating them as extensions of the core team rather than mere contractors.
“We work with trusted partners who share our values, scaling capacity when needed without inflating the permanent headcount,” Webster explains. The studio’s external collaborations range from transactional outsourcing—pure asset creation—to deep co‑development where outside studios attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. The UK, with its mature development ecosystem, proves especially fertile for such partnerships.
“In the past, other studios would only help you reluctantly, protecting their own projects. Today, companies hire people who enjoy rotating across different teams, keeping the work fresh and exciting,” he observes. Webster is convinced this hybrid model can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale, and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer underscores that belief: “We founded Fuse in January 2023.
Three and a half years later we have a studio, a team, and a game built on Unreal Engine 5—a tool none of us had mastered at the start. It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way.” A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its blend of veteran expertise and youthful energy.
While many of the founders are Criterion alumni, the studio has also recruited a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before. One producer, for instance, came from a non‑gaming background. “Our young talent is incredibly smart and effective—often more so than I was at their age,” Webster says proudly. He notes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, which can stifle mentorship.
“Nurturing young talent energizes both parties,” he adds, explaining why Fuse has adjusted its hiring focus toward emerging creators. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue. “We haven’t made any money yet, but we remember how Criterion’s intern initiatives paid off,” he reflects. “You have to go into that with eyes wide open and recognize the cost of developing talent.” When reflecting on the industry’s past reliance on “superstar” developers, Webster is blunt: the fixation on a single creative visionary is nonsense.
“Games are made by collaborations of individuals,” he asserts. The money that once flowed to high‑profile creators should instead have been directed toward strong, cohesive teams.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains open‑ended. “The launch is just the beginning for us,” Webster says. “We’ll be talking to partners about new opportunities, and we have ideas for what we want to do next.
As an independent studio, flexibility and adaptability are essential.” In summary, Matt Webster’s journey—from a long tenure at EA to founding a lean, innovative studio—illustrates how a clear vision, willingness to challenge genre norms, and a balanced approach to talent can revive a dormant niche. Star Wars: Galactic Racer aims to prove that even the smallest corners of gaming can capture a growing audience when they deliver fresh, replayable fun wrapped in a beloved franchise.