Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling company is on the brink of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, a partnership with the newly independent publisher Secret Mode. The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy.
It arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*, and it does so during a period when racing games have 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 bluntly stating that the market didn’t appear to have room for another racer.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from pure racing, devoting its resources to the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster is convinced a market still exists for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly believe there is an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“We’re not the only ones who think that, and the reaction we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a phase where shooters dominated, but that’s not the only genre that can thrive. As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger fan base.” Webster argues that modern players are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he believes *Galactic Racer* delivers 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 not limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other over‑the‑top environments that would be impossible in a conventional racing simulation. Beyond the flashy visuals, *Galactic Racer* attempts to upend long‑standing genre conventions. Most racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and “steal from other genres.” The game incorporates consequential decision‑making, especially around crashes.
In many modern racers a rewind button erases the penalty for a mistake; Fuse wants to bring consequences back, making each crash matter. The design draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*, which emphasize infinite replayability.
“Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster explains. When a player crashes too often they are sent back to the start of a run, but they retain a degree of meta‑progression that puts them in a stronger position for the next attempt. This creates tension: “When you’re on your last crash and your systems are critical, you actually feel the risk,” he says. It’s a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles, and Webster acknowledges the risk, especially with heavyweight releases like *GTA 6* looming.
*Galactic Racer* is slated for an October 6 launch, comfortably before *GTA 6*’s November 19 release, yet still close to other major titles such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall*, both slated for September 24. Webster notes that crowded release windows are nothing new. “People used to call October ‘murderers’ row,’ and it was always packed,” he recalls.
He remains confident, tempered with realism: “Good games will find a way. That’s the mantra I’ve heard for years, and we’re hoping it holds true.” The conversation naturally shifts to the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through game development. Webster, a veteran with over three decades of experience, remembers a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago.
“Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience,” he asserts. He sees the current risk‑averse atmosphere as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit your opportunities,” he adds.
Starting a new studio in 2023 has not been without challenges. Funding was scarce, and many questioned the wisdom of launching an independent studio at that time. Webster reflects, “I spent 32 years at EA inside a bubble. Doing an indie studio was new territory.
But I fell back on principles I’d learned: build a great team, refine a clear creative vision, and stay disciplined while accepting that plans will always be imperfect.” He emphasizes that an engaged, motivated team is the cornerstone of success. Fuse Games remains relatively small for a project of AAA ambition, hovering around 75 core staff. This size is intentional. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in waves—a common industry practice—Fuse relies heavily on external development partners to fill gaps.
“We’re not doing the grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink cycle,” Webster says. “Our model could become the future of AAA development: a lean permanent core complemented by trusted external studios that share our values.” External collaboration at Fuse ranges from straightforward outsourcing, which he describes as “transactional asset creation,” to deep co‑development where partner studios attend Fuse’s stand‑ups, join their Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase.
The UK, with its mature game‑development ecosystem, proves especially fertile for such partnerships. “In the past, other companies helped you only grudgingly, but now there are firms eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their talent fresh and excited.” Webster believes this hybrid model makes it possible to achieve AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete UE5‑powered game—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach.
“We built a studio, a team, and a game on an engine none of us previously knew. It feels like an achievement, and we did it sustainably,” he says. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of young talent alongside the Criterion veterans.
Some team members, including a producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. “The young developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age,” Webster observes.
He notes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but that dynamic can stifle growth. “Nurturing young talent engages and motivates everyone involved,” he explains, and Fuse has adjusted its hiring strategy accordingly. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to continue attracting fresh talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model, while warning that developing talent requires a clear-eyed understanding of its costs.
Reflecting on the industry’s past boom years, Webster recalls how many developers received funding to launch their own studios after a hit game, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected. He criticizes the lingering fixation on a singular “creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative endeavors, not the product of a lone genius. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster keeps the plans intentionally vague. “The launch is just the beginning for us,” he says.
“We’ll be talking to people about future opportunities, and we have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent studio we have to stay flexible and adaptable.”