Matt Webster appeared destined for a lifelong career at Electronic Arts. He entered the company back in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster joined forces with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent UK studio called Fuse Games. Fast‑forward a little over three years, and the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly autonomous publisher Secret Mode.
Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game—2002’s Racer Revenge. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has generally lost steam. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining, “we didn’t see a real fit in the market for that game.” Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus from racing to the Battlefield franchise.
Webster remains convinced there is still a market for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly believe there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response we get from people watching our videos and 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 capture players’ attention.
As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience.” According to Webster, gamers are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. “Our vision is to create something fresh and new.” Fuse set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of an arcade racer while also exploring what’s possible when you’re no longer limited by realistic 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 arcade thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing genre conventions. The typical racing game structure revolves around collecting cars—a formula that hasn’t changed much in two decades.
“Let’s rip that up and steal ideas from other genres,” Webster says. One of those borrowed ideas is the emphasis on consequential decision‑making, illustrated by the game’s handling of crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for crashing, diluting tension. “We want crashes to matter again, to have real impact,” Webster notes.
The game’s design draws inspiration from roguelikes such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—titles built around infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability, so mixing it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven.” When a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, but they retain a portion of meta‑progression, emerging in a stronger position.
“That crash has consequences. When you’re on your last life and systems are critical, you literally lean forward and start weighing the risk you’re taking,” Webster describes.
This approach marks a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles. Yet Webster is mindful of the crowded marketplace, especially in a year when Rockstar’s GTA 6 is slated for a November 19 release.
Galactic Racer is scheduled for October 6, giving it a comfortable gap from the blockbuster while still landing after other major releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. He acknowledges that release windows can feel congested.
“People used to call September ‘murderers’ row,’ and October was packed too,” he recalls. “The market is competitive, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” Webster’s optimism is rooted in a long‑standing industry adage: good games find an audience.
He reflects on past waves of layoffs, noting that great teams produce great games, and great games attract players. “There’s a lot of risk aversion right now,” he observes. “That creates opportunities for those willing to take calculated bets.
If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances.” Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without hurdles. Funding proved difficult to secure. “People said, ‘You’re brave starting an indie studio in 2023,’” Webster says with a laugh. “After 32 years at EA, I was used to a bubble.
This was new territory.” He emphasizes the core principles that guided Fuse: building a strong team, refining a creative vision, and maintaining discipline to craft a plan—recognizing that the plan will always be imperfect but still the best version available at the moment. Continuous review, adaptation, and staying true to values are essential for assembling an engaged, motivated crew capable of delivering great work.
Fuse’s team is relatively small for a title with AAA ambitions—about 75 people. This size is intentional. Rather than scaling up and down repeatedly, the studio relies on external partners to fill gaps. “We’re not doing the grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink cycle,” Webster explains.
“Our model could become the future of AAA development: a permanent, lean core team supplemented by trusted partners who share our values.” External collaboration at Fuse ranges from straightforward outsourcing—transactional asset creation—to deep co‑development, where partner studios attend stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. The UK, with its mature game‑development ecosystem, proves especially conducive to this model.
“In the past, other companies helped you only because they needed the money, often grudgingly. Now many studios hire people who are excited to work on diverse projects with different teams, keeping everyone fresh and motivated.” Webster believes this hybrid approach enables a AAA‑scale game to be built on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer validates the model: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and three and a half years later the studio has assembled a team, built a game on Unreal Engine 5—a technology none of them initially mastered—and done so in a healthy, sustainable way.
The studio’s talent mix also reflects a deliberate shift toward younger developers. While several Criterion veterans are present, many of the team members are newcomers, including a producer with no prior game‑industry experience. “We’re thrilled with the young talent we have,” Webster says.
“They’re often smarter and more effective than I was at their age. In many cases, we’ve seen greater success with younger developers than with senior hires from elsewhere.” He notes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who can work independently, which can limit mentorship opportunities. “Nurturing young talent engages and motivates everyone involved,” Webster adds, explaining that Fuse has adjusted its hiring strategy accordingly.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to establish an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue. “We haven’t made any money yet,” he reminds. “But Criterion’s intern programs were hugely successful, and I hope we can replicate that, recognizing the costs involved in developing talent.” Reflecting on the industry’s past financial boom, Webster recalls a time when successful game teams received ample funding to start their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected.
He argues that money should have been directed toward great teams rather than a handful of superstar developers. “There’s been a fixation on the singular creative visionary, which is complete nonsense.
Games are collaborative creations.” As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster remains open‑ended. “The launch is just the beginning for us,” he says. “We’ll be talking to people about potential opportunities, and we have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent developer you have to stay flexible and adaptable.”