Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent UK studio called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later, that 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—at a moment when the racing genre has generally lost some of its mainstream steam. 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 focus from pure racing to the Battlefield franchise.

Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still demand for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.

“Our community, the people who watch our videos and read our articles, tells us we’re not alone in that belief.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience,” Webster said.

He believes players are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re not limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other over‑the‑top set‑pieces that would be impossible in a realistic driving simulation. Yet the game also seeks to overturn long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.

For two decades, most racers have been built around a car‑collection model—players earn new vehicles, upgrade them, and chase the next shiny ride. “Let’s rip that up and steal from other genres,” Webster declared. One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing.

In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates risk, turning failure into a trivial setback. Fuse wants to bring consequence back, making each crash matter. The system draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games designed for infinite replayability.

“Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike mechanics feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster explained. When a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, but they retain a portion of meta‑progression, emerging from the reset in a slightly stronger position. This creates tension: on a final crash, the player feels the weight of risk and must decide whether to push forward or retreat.

Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with Rockstar’s GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer’s release date—October 6—places it between several high‑profile launches, including Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.

Yet he notes that the industry has always endured busy windows. “People used to call September ‘murderers’ row,’ and October was packed as well,” he recalled. Fuse approaches the market with “a healthy sense of confidence” tempered by a realistic view of possible outcomes.

“I was always told good games will find a way, so we’re hoping,” he said. The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector.

Webster, who has witnessed similar cuts about fifteen years ago, believes great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He observes a growing aversion to risk among publishers, which in turn creates openings for developers willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit opportunity,” he warned.

Starting a studio in 2023 has not been easy. Funding is scarce, and many questioned the wisdom of launching an independent studio in a tough climate.

Webster reflected on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing the transition as “stepping out of a bubble.” He emphasized a core set of principles: building a talented team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will be imperfect and must be iterated upon. “Engaged, motivated talent makes great things, so it’s your job to engage and motivate them,” he said. Fuse’s team is relatively small for a AAA‑scale project—about 75 people—but this is intentional. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in response to each milestone, Fuse relies on external partners to fill gaps.

The studio distinguishes between transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) and co‑development, where external studios become an extension of the core team, participating in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even sharing the code base. Webster highlighted the UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations. “In the past, companies helped you only because they needed to keep the lights on.

Now there are firms that deliberately hire people to work across multiple projects, keeping them fresh and excited.” According to Webster, this hybrid model proves that a AAA‑level game—by scope, visual fidelity, and ambition—can be produced on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline underscores that claim: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and three and a half years later the studio has built a team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a polished title.

“It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way,” he said. Another notable aspect of Fuse’s journey is its blend of veteran expertise and youthful energy. While several Criterion veterans anchor the studio, many younger developers have joined, including a producer who had never worked in games before. “We are thrilled with the young talent we’ve got,” Webster remarked.

He observed that younger staff often outperform senior hires in creativity and efficiency. “If you talk to a seasoned developer, they may prefer senior co‑workers who need little interaction. That’s not good for growth.

Nurturing young talent engages both parties.” Looking ahead, Webster hopes to establish an internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model, acknowledging that developing talent carries costs but can yield long‑term dividends. Reflecting on the industry’s earlier days of abundant funding, Webster recalls a time when successful game leads were handed capital to start their own studios—only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected.

He criticizes the lingering myth of the “singular creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always the product of collaborative effort, not the vision of a lone genius. As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible. While the launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, Webster says the team will explore future opportunities and ideas, adapting to the ever‑changing independent‑developer landscape.

"We have concepts and directions we’d like to pursue, but in this business you have to stay adaptable," he concluded.