Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started there in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the Criterion banner, a studio EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent UK studio, Fuse Games. Just over three years later, the fledgling company is preparing to release its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent 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 traditional racing games have lost some of their mainstream appeal. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t seem to fit the product.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from racing to focus on the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the reaction we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that gaming genres tend to be cyclical.
“Shooters dominated for a while, but that’s not the whole story. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger following.” Webster believes players are seeking "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven't seen yet," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racing while also exploring what becomes possible when you free yourself from the constraints of real‑world tires and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains.
“It feels like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game aims to subvert long‑standing genre conventions. Most racing titles have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades.
Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. The result is a system built around meaningful decision‑making, especially when it comes to crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button removes any real penalty for mistakes.
Fuse Games decided to re‑introduce consequence: too many crashes send you back to the start, though you retain some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position the next run. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their final allowed crash.
The design is also inspired by roguelike principles found in games such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—titles built for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike structures feels like a match made in heaven." The blend of arcade speed, strategic risk, and procedural variety is intended to keep players coming back for more. Releasing the game on October 6 places it between two major industry events: Rockstar’s highly anticipated GTA 6, slated for November 19, and a busy September window that includes releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.
Some observers warned that September is a crowded month, but Webster points out that the industry has long endured packed launch schedules. "Back in the day we called it 'Murderers' Row' when October was stacked with releases," he recalls. "We’re aware of the competition, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out." Webster’s optimism is rooted in a broader industry observation. He notes that layoffs have become a recurring pattern, yet great teams still produce great games that find audiences.
"There’s a growing aversion to risk," he says, "which actually opens opportunities for those willing to take calculated bets. If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances." This mindset guided his transition from a 32‑year tenure at EA—where he felt insulated in a corporate bubble—to the uncertain world of independent development. Funding proved to be a major hurdle. "People told me I was brave to start an indie studio in 2023," he admits.
The solution, he says, was to lean on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning while staying flexible enough to adapt. Fuse Games kept its core staff deliberately small—about 75 people—to avoid the boom‑and‑bust scaling cycles that plague many studios.
Instead, the studio relies heavily on external partners for additional capacity. This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development relationships where external teams join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the codebase. The UK, with its mature game development ecosystem, proved especially conducive to this approach. In the past, studios were reluctant to collaborate, often viewing each other as competition.
Today, many companies hire developers who enjoy rotating between projects and teams, keeping the talent pool fresh and motivated. Webster believes this collaborative environment allows a AAA‑scale game to be built on a sustainable budget without the traditional overhead of a massive permanent staff.
The speed of Galactic Racer’s development underscores the efficacy of this model. Fuse Games was founded in January 2023; three and a half years later, they have a fully functional studio, a cohesive team, and a finished game built on Unreal Engine 5—technology none of them previously mastered.
"It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," Webster says. Another noteworthy aspect is the infusion of young talent.
While the studio includes several Criterion veterans, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry, and one producer had never worked on a game before. "Our young talent is smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age," Webster observes. He argues that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but that dynamic can stifle growth.
By nurturing younger staff, Fuse Games has discovered a source of energy and innovation that outweighs the benefits of relying solely on senior hires. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to continue attracting fresh talent, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue.
He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model, emphasizing that developing talent comes with costs that must be recognized upfront. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover how difficult it truly is. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the "lone creative visionary," calling it "bullshit" and insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster admits the future is still being charted.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities while staying adaptable—a necessity for independent developers in today’s fast‑moving market.