Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA back in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under Criterion, a studio 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 UK studio called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is poised to ship 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 racing games have generally slipped out of the spotlight. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with UK studio Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the project didn’t fit the current market.

Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster is convinced there is still demand for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who think that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical.

After a period dominated by shooters, other genres inevitably re‑emerge as the player base broadens. “The more people play games, the bigger the audience even for the tiniest niches,” he added. Webster believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.

The team set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, "What could we do once we’re no longer limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?" The answer, he says, includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.

Most racers rely on a car‑collection model that has changed little in two decades. Webster wants to tear that structure up and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashes.

In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the penalty for a mistake, but Fuse wants crashes to matter. "If you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start, but you retain some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position," he explains. "When you’re on your last allowed crash, the risk feels real, and you start to weigh every decision." The game’s design is also inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built for infinite replayability.

"Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a perfect match," Webster says. This approach encourages players to experiment, learn from failures, and keep coming back for fresh runs. Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands a month before the highly anticipated GTA 6, which is slated for November 19, and shortly after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but points out that the industry has weathered even busier pre‑Christmas windows in the past.

"People used to call September ‘murderer’s row,’ yet October was always packed with big titles," he recalls. He says Fuse Games approaches the competition with a “healthy confidence” tempered by realistic expectations.

"Good games find a way," he notes, echoing a mantra he’s heard throughout his long career. The interview also touches on the broader climate of layoffs and risk‑aversion in the industry.

Webster, who lived through a wave of cuts fifteen years ago, observes that great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He argues that the current risk‑averse mindset creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. "If you avoid risk, you limit yourself and miss chances for innovation," he says.

Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Webster recounts skeptics telling him, "You’re brave starting an indie studio now." After 32 years at EA, he had to relearn how to build a company from scratch. His guiding principles remained the same: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will evolve. He emphasizes that an engaged, motivated crew is the engine of success.

Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the industry’s typical cycle of rapid expansion and contraction. Instead, the studio leverages external partners for additional capacity. "We don’t follow the grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink model; we keep a small permanent core and bring in trusted collaborators as needed," Webster explains.

External development ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development, where partner studios sit in Fuse’s daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and codebase. The UK, with its mature development ecosystem, proves especially fertile for co‑development.

In the past, studios were reluctant to help competitors, but today many companies hire talent eager to work on diverse projects, keeping their skills fresh and their motivation high. Webster believes this hybrid model—small core plus flexible partners—allows a studio to deliver AAA‑level scope, scale, and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The speed of Galactic Racer’s development underscores the viability of this approach.

Fuse launched in January 2023; just three and a half years later they have a fully built studio, a cohesive team, and a game built on Unreal Engine 5—an engine none of them previously mastered. "It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way," Webster says.

A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger developers. Some team members, including a producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. "The young talent we’ve attracted is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age," Webster admits. He observes that seasoned veterans sometimes prefer to work with equally senior colleagues, which can limit mentorship opportunities.

By focusing on nurturing fresh talent, Fuse has discovered a productivity boost and a more dynamic studio culture. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program, though the studio remains pre‑revenue. He cites Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model, while acknowledging the costs associated with developing new talent.

Reflecting on the boom years five or six years ago, he notes that many well‑funded teams splintered into studios that underestimated the challenges of independence. "Money should go to great teams, not just superstar creators," he asserts, dismissing the myth of the lone visionary as "fucking bullshit." In reality, games are collaborative creations. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster says the launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning. The studio is already brainstorming future projects but remains flexible, recognizing that independent developers must adapt to shifting market conditions.

"We have ideas and directions we’d like to explore, but we’ll stay agile and responsive to opportunities as they arise," he concludes.