Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing titles for the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate behemoth and launch an independent UK studio called Fuse Games.
Just over three years later, the fledgling studio is on the verge of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly autonomous label 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 cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called 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 is 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 don’t think we’re the only ones. The comments we get on our videos and articles suggest we’re not alone in feeling that way.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical.
“We went through a phase where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the only genre that can thrive,” he explained. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches find a larger audience.” According to Webster, players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The team’s vision is to create something fresh, an arcade‑style racer that also pushes the boundaries of what a racing game can be when it’s no longer tethered to realistic tyres and tarmac. “Imagine tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” Webster said.
“It’s a roller‑coaster at times.” Those over‑the‑top environments are meant to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also experimenting with new design possibilities. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing genre conventions.
Most racing titles rely on a car‑collection model that has changed little in two decades. Fuse wants to “rip that up” and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the penalty for a mistake, but Galactic Racer restores risk: excessive crashes send the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a stronger position for the next attempt.
This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their final allowable crash. Webster cites roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire as inspirations for the game’s structure.
Those games are built around infinite replayability, a quality that meshes naturally with racing, a genre that thrives on repeated attempts and incremental improvement. By blending roguelike progression with high‑speed competition, Fuse hopes to create “a match made in heaven.” The design philosophy also aligns with a broader industry shift away from the over‑hand‑holding that has become common in AAA releases.
While acknowledging the crowded release calendar—GTA 6 is slated for November 19, and other major titles like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall dropped on September 24—Webster remains confident. “September looks busy, but October has always been packed. We have a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out,” he said.
The conversation inevitably turned to the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector. Webster, who has witnessed at least two major layoff cycles in his career, believes that great teams make great games, and great games find their audiences. He sees the current risk‑averse climate as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets.
“When you avoid risk, you limit opportunity. Those willing to push the envelope can thrive,” he observed.
Starting a new studio in 2023, however, has not been without its hurdles. Securing funding proved difficult, with many industry insiders questioning the wisdom of launching an independent studio at that time. Webster reflected on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing the transition as stepping out of a bubble into a world where principles such as building a solid team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning become paramount.
He emphasized that plans are always imperfect, but they provide a necessary framework that can be reviewed and adapted. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague many larger developers. Instead of scaling the internal team up and down, Fuse relies heavily on external partners to fill gaps.
This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlighted the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work with varied partners rather than hoarding all work internally. From Fuse’s perspective, this approach enables a AAA‑scale project—both in scope and visual fidelity—to be delivered on a sustainable budget.
The rapid development timeline underscores the model’s viability: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and just three and a half years later the team has built a studio, assembled a team, and created a game on Unreal Engine 5—a tool none of them had mastered at the outset. "It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," Webster said.
Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s journey is the infusion of young talent. While the studio includes veteran Criterion alumni, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry, and one producer had never worked on a game before joining.
Webster praised this youthful energy, claiming that the younger cohort often outperforms more senior hires in creativity and efficiency. He observed that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work alongside peers who need little guidance, which can stifle mentorship opportunities. By actively nurturing junior staff, Fuse hopes to build a culture of growth and motivation. Looking ahead, Webster envisions an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he acknowledges that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality.
He recalled a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital and many successful developers received funding to start their own studios—only to discover how challenging independent development can be. That era, he argues, misplaced money on “superstar” individuals rather than on strong, collaborative teams. "The fixation on a singular creative visionary is nonsense," he said. "Games are made by collaborations of individuals." As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible.
While the launch of Galactic Racer marks a major milestone, Webster hints that the team will explore new opportunities and ideas, adapting to market conditions as an independent developer must. The overarching message is clear: by embracing a small, dedicated core team, leveraging trusted external partners, and championing fresh talent, Fuse Games aims to prove that ambitious, high‑quality experiences can be built sustainably—even in a genre that many thought had faded from the spotlight.