Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed while working at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. Yet in early 2023 he, along with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to break away and launch their own independent UK studio, Fuse Games.
Three and a half years later the fledgling team is poised to release 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.
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 itself has shifted its focus away from racing toward the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“Clearly we think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that, and the response we get from people watching our videos and reading articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other genres inevitably resurface. “As more and more people play video games, even the tiniest of niches find a bigger audience,” Webster explains. He believes players are hungry for fresh, compelling experiences they haven’t encountered before, and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that.
The studio set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer bound 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 conventional circuits, and a visual spectacle that pushes the limits of what a racing game can look like. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer is deliberately subverting long‑standing conventions of the genre.
For two decades, most racing games have relied on a car‑collection model: earn credits, buy new vehicles, and gradually improve your garage. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. The game incorporates meaningful decision‑making, especially around crashes.
In many modern racers a rewind button eliminates any penalty for crashing, but Fuse wants to re‑introduce consequence. “If you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start,” he says, “but you keep some meta‑progression, so you’re a bit stronger the next run. Yet each crash still matters, and when you’re on your last life you feel the tension of risk.” The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability.
Racing, by nature, thrives on repeated play, so blending the two creates a “match made in heaven,” according to Webster. Each run through a track can yield different power‑ups, upgrades, and branching paths, encouraging players to experiment and adapt. This approach also aligns with the studio’s broader stance on risk: “There’s a lot of aversion to risk in the industry right now,” he notes. “That aversion creates opportunities for those willing to take calculated bets.” Launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is a gamble in itself.
Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, positioning it a month before the highly anticipated GTA 6 launch on November 19, yet after other major releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but remains confident.
“I was always told good games will find a way,” he says. “We have a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out.” The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Having lived through a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago, Webster sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences.
He argues that the current climate of risk‑averse publishing can actually benefit independent studios that are willing to innovate. However, securing funding for a new studio in 2023 has been far from easy. “People were like, ‘you’re brave doing an independent studio in 2023,’” he recalls.
After 32 years at EA, Webster had to relearn how to build a business from the ground up, relying on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core staff of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust hiring cycles that plague many AAA developers. Instead, the studio leans on external partners for additional capacity.
This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing—where external studios create assets on a contract basis—to full co‑development, where partner teams 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 key advantage, noting that today’s external studios are eager to collaborate on diverse projects rather than merely seeking survival work.
He believes this blended approach can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale, and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a near‑finished product in just three and a half years—serves as proof of concept. “We built a studio, a team, and a game on Unreal Engine 5 that none of us had previously mastered,” Webster says. “It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way.” Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on nurturing young talent.
While the studio includes several Criterion veterans, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry; one producer has never worked on a game before. Webster is enthusiastic about the fresh perspectives these younger creators bring.
“They’re smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age,” he admits. He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who can work independently, which can limit mentorship opportunities. By deliberately hiring and empowering younger staff, Fuse hopes to create a culture of mutual growth and motivation. Looking ahead, Webster envisions establishing an intern program to further develop emerging talent, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue.
He cites Criterion’s successful internship pipelines as a model and stresses the importance of entering such initiatives with eyes wide open about the costs involved. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, he notes that many “superstar” developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover how difficult it truly is to build a sustainable business. He argues that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than to a mythic “single creative visionary,” which he calls “fucking bullshit.” In reality, games are collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster remains cautiously optimistic but non‑committal.
The launch is just the beginning, and the studio is open to exploring new opportunities and directions. “For an independent developer these days, you have to be flexible and adaptable,” he says. With a solid foundation, a bold design philosophy, and a team that blends veteran insight with youthful energy, Fuse Games aims to prove that even the smallest niches can capture a growing audience—especially when they deliver something genuinely fresh and fun.