Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts forever. He started at the company in 1990 and, after nearly twenty years, helped shape the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while working at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. Yet in early 2023 Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate behemoth and launch their own independent UK studio, Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio 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 largely slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style car games, has pivoted to the Battlefield franchise, leaving a noticeable void in the high‑octane racing space. Webster, however, is convinced that a demand still exists.
“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 people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming trends are cyclical: “Genres rise and fall. We had a period where shooters dominated, but that’s not the whole story. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable following.” According to Webster, modern players crave fresh, compelling experiences that they haven’t encountered before, and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
The team set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what becomes possible when you’re no longer limited by realistic tyres and asphalt. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains.
“Sometimes it feels more like a roller‑coaster than a traditional circuit.” Beyond the spectacle, Fuse Games is deliberately subverting long‑standing racing conventions. The typical model—collecting cars over a series of unlocks—has remained unchanged for roughly two decades. Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the emphasis on meaningful consequences.
In many contemporary racers, a rewind button erases the impact of mistakes, but Fuse intends to re‑introduce stakes: crashing repeatedly will send you back to the start, though you retain a slice of meta‑progression that makes you slightly more powerful on the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re down to their final “life.” The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability and procedural variation.
“Racing thrives on replayability,” Webster notes, “so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven.” The result is a game that encourages players to experiment, learn from failure, and return stronger, rather than simply grinding for new skins or vehicles. Releasing a new IP in a crowded calendar is a bold gamble, particularly with blockbuster titles like GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer’s launch is set for October 6, giving it a modest runway before the holiday rush while still landing after major September releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall. Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but remains confident: “We’ve always believed good games find a way.
We’re hopeful, and we’ve got a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Having weathered a previous round of cuts fifteen years ago, Webster sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences.
He argues that the current risk‑averse climate creates openings for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit opportunity,” he says, emphasizing that Fuse’s willingness to experiment is a strategic advantage. Funding, however, has not been a walk in the park.
“People told me it was brave to start an independent studio in 2023,” Webster recalls. After three decades at EA, he found himself navigating an unfamiliar environment.
He leaned on core principles he’d learned over the years: assemble a talented team, crystallize a clear creative vision, and build a disciplined plan—always knowing the plan will evolve. “Engaged and motivated talent makes great things,” he asserts, underscoring the importance of nurturing the people behind the product. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 staff members—by design.
Rather than scaling up and down in waves, the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill capability gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even share the code base.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key factor: “Companies now hire people eager to work across different teams, keeping the work fresh and exciting.” From his perspective, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game—measured by scope, visual fidelity and production values—can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team leverages trusted external collaborators. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer illustrates the model’s efficacy: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years they built a studio, assembled a team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a polished, market‑ready title. Another noteworthy aspect is the infusion of youthful talent.
While the studio’s leadership includes seasoned Criterion veterans, many of the developers on Galactic Racer are newcomers, some with no prior experience in the industry. “The young talent we’ve attracted is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age,” Webster says.
He believes that nurturing junior staff not only accelerates innovation but also creates a more dynamic workplace culture. In contrast, he observes that senior developers sometimes prefer working with peers who need minimal guidance, which can stifle growth for both parties.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be cautious with resources. He cites Criterion’s successful intern pipeline as an inspiration and stresses the need for realistic expectations about the cost and time required to cultivate new developers. Reflecting on the industry’s past focus on “superstar” creators, Webster dismisses the myth of the solitary visionary as “bullshit.” He argues that games are inherently collaborative endeavors, and the fixation on a single creative genius has long been a false narrative. The money that once poured into individual star developers, he suggests, would have been better spent on strong, cohesive teams.
As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster remains open‑ended. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio is already brainstorming future projects. However, he stresses that independent developers must stay flexible and adaptable in an ever‑changing market.
“We’ll talk to anyone about potential opportunities, and we have ideas about where we want to go,” he says, “but the reality for an indie studio today is that you have to be ready to pivot whenever the situation demands it.”