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 legendary Burnout and Need for Speed series while they were under the umbrella of Criterion, which 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 strike out on their own and establish the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Fast‑forward three and a half years, and the fledgling studio is poised to launch its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The timing of Galactic Racer’s arrival is noteworthy. It will be the first Star Wars‑themed racing game since 2002’s Racer Revenge, a gap of roughly twenty‑four years.
In the intervening period, the racing genre has struggled to maintain a high profile. Recent headlines illustrate the challenge: Amazon abandoned a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise, leaving a void for fans of high‑octane, Star‑Wars‑flavored competition. Despite these headwinds, Webster is convinced there is still a hungry 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 response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points to the cyclical nature of video‑game genres, noting that while shooters have dominated the past decade, other categories inevitably rise again as the overall player base expands. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” he said.
Webster believes modern gamers are seeking fresh, compelling experiences that break the mould of what they have previously seen. He sees Galactic Racer as a vehicle for that ambition. “We want to do something new and exciting,” he explained. The team deliberately embraced the instant gratification of arcade racing while also asking, “What could we do if we weren’t limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes, courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits, and a sense of daring that pushes players to the edge of physics.
Beyond the thrill‑rides, Galactic Racer attempts to overturn long‑standing conventions in the racing genre. For decades, most racing games have been built around a car‑collection model, where players unlock new vehicles over time.
Webster wants to rip that formula up and borrow mechanics from other genres. He cites the influence of roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire, which prioritize infinite replayability and meaningful decision‑making. In Galactic Racer, crashes carry weight: a player who crashes repeatedly is sent back to the start, but they retain a portion of their meta‑progression, emerging in a slightly stronger position. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh the consequences of reckless driving, a stark contrast to the “rewind” safety nets common in contemporary AAA racers.
Webster acknowledges that this design philosophy is a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become standard in big‑budget games. Yet he sees it as essential for standing out in a crowded market, especially in a year when heavyweight releases like GTA 6, Control: Resonance, and Silent Hill: Townfall are slated for the fall. Galactic Racer is slated for an October 6 launch—well before GTA 6’s November 19 release but after several other major titles. While some industry observers warn that September and October are saturated with releases, Webster recalls earlier eras when October was considered “murderer’s row” and still managed to succeed.
He emphasizes that Fuse Games approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realism: “Good games find a way,” he says, echoing a mantra he’s heard throughout his long career. The conversation inevitably turns to the broader context of industry layoffs and risk aversion. Webster, who has witnessed multiple waves of downsizing, believes that great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He argues that the current climate is marked by an aversion to risk, which paradoxically creates opportunities for studios willing to make calculated bets.
“If you’re not willing to take those bets, you limit your chances,” he notes. Starting an independent studio in 2023, however, has not been without challenges.
Funding proved elusive, with many questioning the wisdom of launching a new studio in a turbulent economic environment. Webster reflects on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing it as a “bubble” that left him unprepared for the realities of indie financing. He stresses that the core principles he learned—building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—remain essential. Even when plans go awry, the process of reviewing, adapting, and staying true to core values is what sustains a studio.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues many larger studios. Instead, Fuse relies heavily on external development partners to fill skill gaps. This hybrid model ranges from pure outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development, where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaboration, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping talent fresh and motivated.
From Fuse’s perspective, this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game—both in scope and visual fidelity—can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core is augmented by trusted partners who share the same values. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer underscores this point: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years they have assembled a team, built a game on Unreal Engine 5 (a tool none of them previously mastered), and prepared for launch.
Webster describes this as an “achievement” accomplished in a “healthy, sustainable way.” The studio’s talent mix further illustrates the shift in industry dynamics. While several veteran Criterion developers are present, Fuse has also recruited a wave of younger creators, some of whom have never worked in games before. One producer, for instance, entered the industry straight from a non‑gaming background. Webster expresses genuine enthusiasm for this youthful energy: “They are smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age.
It’s extraordinary.” He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but nurturing younger talent can be equally rewarding and can foster a more collaborative environment. This insight has already influenced Fuse’s hiring strategy, prompting a pivot toward recruiting and developing emerging talent.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate young developers, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and must tread carefully. He cites Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model and acknowledges that building talent comes with a cost that must be recognized upfront. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful developers to spin off their own studios, only to discover that creating a sustainable business is far more challenging than anticipated.
He criticizes the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “bullshit,” arguing that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster remains cautiously optimistic. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and while the studio has ideas for future projects, he emphasizes the need for flexibility and adaptability in today’s independent development landscape. The overarching message is clear: with a focused core team, strategic external partnerships, and a willingness to experiment with genre conventions, a small studio can still deliver a high‑profile, ambitious title that captures the imagination of gamers worldwide.