Matt Webster appeared destined for a lifelong career at Electronic Arts. He first joined the company back in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years working on iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed through Criterion, the 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.
Fast‑forward three and a half years, and Fuse is on the brink of releasing 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 time when the broader racing genre has lost some of its mainstream sparkle. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating, “We didn’t see a real fit in the market for that game.” Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise.
Webster, though, remains convinced there is still a viable market. “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 feedback we get from people watching our videos or reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a period where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the only genre that can thrive.
As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches begin to attract larger followings.” According to Webster, gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. “Our vision is to create something fresh and new,” he says. Fuse set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What could we do once we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is a series of wildly imaginative tracks – “we have routes that climb the side of an active volcano; it’s like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond those high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to overturn long‑standing racing conventions. “Most racing games have been built around car collection for the past two decades,” Webster notes.
“We want to rip that model apart and borrow ideas from other genres.” One of the core innovations is a stronger emphasis on consequence. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for crashing.
Fuse wants to bring the risk back. “If you crash too many times, you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position. When you’re on your last life, you actually feel the weight of the risk you’re taking.” The design draws inspiration from roguelikes such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire – games built for infinite replayability.
"Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven," Webster explains. This approach marks a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become common in AAA titles.
Yet Webster is aware of the crowded market, especially with Rockstar’s GTA 6 slated for a November 19 release. Galactic Racer is scheduled for launch on October 6, giving it a comfortable window before the blockbuster, but still landing amid a busy September‑October period that includes titles like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall. He acknowledges the competition but remains confident. “I’ve always been told that good games find a way.
We have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” Webster reflects on the wave of industry layoffs, noting that great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He observes a current aversion to risk: “When companies shy away from taking calculated bets, they limit opportunities for innovative projects.” Starting a new studio in 2023 has not been without challenges.
Funding was scarce, and many questioned the wisdom of launching an independent studio at that time. Webster recalls, “After 32 years at EA, I was in a bubble.
Building a new studio forced me to lean on fundamentals: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning – even though the plan will always be imperfect.” Fuse’s core team is relatively small for a AAA‑scale game, numbering around 75 people. This size is intentional; the studio avoids the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues many developers. Instead, Fuse leverages external partners to fill gaps, treating them either as transactional asset creators or as true co‑development extensions that attend stand‑ups, join Slack channels and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem as ideal for this model.
“In the past, external studios were reluctant collaborators, often only helping out of necessity. Today, many firms actively seek diverse projects, keeping their talent fresh and motivated.” He believes this hybrid approach – a lean permanent core plus trusted external collaborators – can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer supports that claim: "We founded Fuse in January 2023, and three and a half years later we have a studio, a team, and a fully‑realized UE5 game that none of us had prior experience with. It feels like a genuine achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way." Another noteworthy aspect is the infusion of young talent.
While the studio includes veterans from Criterion, many team members are newcomers, some with no prior game‑development experience. "The younger developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," Webster says.
"We’ve seen greater success with our emerging talent than with some of the senior hires we brought in." He argues that seasoned developers sometimes prefer working with peers who require minimal mentorship, which can stifle growth. By deliberately nurturing younger staff, Fuse has discovered a more engaging and motivating environment for everyone involved. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalise an internship program to further develop fresh talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s historic success with its own intern pipelines as a model to emulate, while also cautioning that developing talent carries costs that must be recognised.
Reflecting on the boom years roughly five or six years ago, Webster recalls how many successful developers were handed funding to start their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected. He criticises the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the singular creative visionary, calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative endeavours.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains open‑ended. "The launch is just the beginning for us," Webster says. "We’re interested in exploring new opportunities and have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent studio we need to stay flexible and adaptable."