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 developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster and a group of fellow Criterion alumni—Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant—decided to strike out on their own, founding the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to launch its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher 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 the racing genre has generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Recent industry news underscores that trend: Amazon withdrew from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the 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 its focus away from racing to the Battlefield franchise. Yet Webster remains convinced that a demand exists. “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 response we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” Webster argues that video‑game genres are cyclical. “We went through a phase where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the only genre that can capture players’ imaginations,” he explained. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience.” He believes gamers are craving “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that fresh experience. The design philosophy behind Galactic Racer is rooted in classic arcade thrills while also pushing the boundaries of what a racing game can be when it’s no longer constrained by realistic tyres and tarmac.
“We wanted to capture the instant gratification of an arcade racer,” Webster said, “but we also wanted to ask what’s possible when you’re free from the physics of real‑world roads.” The result is a series of wildly imaginative tracks, including routes that wind up the side of an active volcano, turning each race into something that feels more like a roller‑coaster ride than a conventional circuit. Beyond the visual spectacle, Fuse is deliberately subverting long‑standing genre conventions.
Most racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades—a system Webster describes as “static” and ripe for disruption. “Let’s rip that up and steal ideas from other genres,” he urged.
One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the penalty for a mistake, but Galactic Racer re‑introduces risk: repeated crashes send the player back to the start of the run, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a stronger position for the next attempt.
This risk‑reward loop is inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike mechanics feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster noted. The consequence system forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re down to their final allowed crash.
“When you’re on your last crash and systems are critical, you literally feel the tension and start thinking about the risk you’re taking,” he said. This design choice marks a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles, and it reflects Fuse’s desire to stand out in a crowded market that will soon see heavyweight releases like GTA 6, Control Resonant and Silent Hill: Townfall. Webster is aware of the timing challenges.
Galactic Racer is slated for an October 6 launch, a comfortable gap before GTA 6’s November 19 release but still close to other major September releases. He points out that busy release windows are nothing new: “I remember hearing about ‘Murderer’s Row’ in the past, when October was packed with big titles.” Despite the competition, Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realism. “Good games will find a way,” he said, echoing an industry maxim that has guided him through multiple cycles of layoffs and market contractions. Speaking about the broader industry climate, Webster reflects on the wave of layoffs that has swept through the sector.
Having lived through a similar downturn fifteen years ago, he observes that great teams produce great games, and great games eventually find an audience. He warns that an aversion to risk is limiting opportunities: “When studios shy away from calculated risks, they miss the chance to innovate and capture new markets.” Building an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy, especially when it comes to financing.
“People told me I was brave for starting an indie studio now,” Webster recalled. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a new reality where funding is scarce and expectations are high.
His answer was to lean on core principles: assemble a talented, motivated team; refine a clear creative vision; and maintain disciplined planning while staying adaptable. “The plan is always wrong, but it’s the best version you have today,” he said, emphasizing the need for constant review and adaptation.
Fuse’s team is relatively small for a game of AAA ambition—around 75 people—but that size is intentional. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in response to project phases, Fuse relies 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 become extensions of the core team, participating in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even sharing codebases. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage for finding reliable partners who share Fuse’s values. He believes this approach demonstrates a sustainable path for AAA‑scale projects: a lean permanent core combined with trusted external collaborators can deliver high‑quality experiences without the financial strain of a massive in‑house workforce.
“We’ve learned a lot doing this, and the rapid development of Galactic Racer proves the model works,” he said. Starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a finished UE5‑based title in just three and a half years feels, to him, like a significant achievement.
Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on nurturing young talent. Alongside the veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has hired many newcomers, including a producer who had never worked in games before.
“The younger developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at that age,” Webster remarked, noting that the studio’s success with youthful staff has surpassed some of its experiments with senior hires. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer working with peers who need little guidance, but that environment can stifle growth. By deliberately fostering mentorship and development opportunities, Fuse hopes to create a more dynamic and motivated workforce. Looking ahead, Webster envisions an intern program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he acknowledges that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs involved.
He cites Criterion’s successful internship initiatives as a model and stresses that any such effort must be undertaken with “eyes wide open.” Reflecting on a period a few years ago when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how many successful teams received funding to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges of running a business. He argues that money should have been allocated to strong teams rather than to a mythic “single creative visionary.” In his view, that notion is “complete bullshit”; games are always the product of collaborative effort.
As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being shaped. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities while staying flexible and adaptable—qualities he believes are essential for independent developers in today’s volatile market.