Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of 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, which 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 called Fuse Games. Just over three years later, Fuse is poised to ship 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 time when the racing genre has generally lost some of its mainstream momentum. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a new driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market didn’t seem to have a clear fit for the project.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from pure racing and is now more closely associated with the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster is confident that a demand exists. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“Our community of video‑watchers and article readers suggests we’re not the only ones who think that.” He argues that gaming genres are cyclical: “Shooters dominated for a while, but that’s not the only cycle. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger fan base.” Webster believes players are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio’s vision is to blend the instant gratification of classic arcade racing with the freedom that comes from being untethered to realistic tires and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains, noting that some sections feel like a roller‑coaster ride. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
The traditional model—collecting cars over a series of races—has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One such mechanic is meaningful consequence. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for crashing, but Fuse wants crashes to matter.
“If you crash too often, you’re sent back to the start, though you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position,” he says. “When you’re on your last crash, you feel the risk in a very real way.” The game’s structure 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 principles feels like a perfect match,” Webster notes. This design choice encourages players to experiment, learn from each failure, and return with a slightly better setup each time.
Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands well before the highly anticipated GTA 6, slated for November 19, yet after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. Webster acknowledges the crowded pre‑holiday window but points out that the industry has faced even busier schedules before.
“People used to call October ‘Murderers’ Row’ because it was packed with releases,” he recalls. “We have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Webster, a veteran who lived through a previous bout of cuts fifteen years ago, observes that great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that the current risk‑averse climate actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets.
“If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances,” he says. Starting a new studio in 2023 has not been easy.
Funding was hard to secure, and many questioned the wisdom of launching an independent studio at that moment. Webster reflects on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing the transition as stepping out of a bubble. He emphasizes core principles: building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will be imperfect and must be continuously reviewed and adapted. Fuse Games remains relatively small for a project of AAA scope, employing about 75 people.
This size is intentional; the studio avoids the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle by relying on external partners to fill skill gaps. Webster describes a hybrid model that blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the codebase. He highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as especially conducive to such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work on varied projects rather than being forced into a single pipeline.
Webster believes this lean‑core‑plus‑partners approach can deliver AAA‑level quality 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 product built on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of the team originally mastered—serves as proof of concept.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the infusion of young talent. While the studio includes several Criterion veterans, many team members are newcomers, and one producer had never worked in games before joining.
“Our younger developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age,” Webster says proudly. He argues that nurturing fresh talent is more rewarding than relying solely on seasoned veterans who may prefer minimal interaction.
This philosophy has already led Fuse to adjust its hiring strategy to prioritize promising newcomers. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop young talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue.
He cites Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as an inspiration and acknowledges the costs involved in cultivating new developers. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful teams received funding to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges were far greater than anticipated.
He criticizes the industry’s lingering obsession with the “single creative visionary” myth, calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster remains non‑committal. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio is open to exploring new opportunities.
“Independent developers need to stay flexible and adaptable,” he concludes, emphasizing that the journey is ongoing and the possibilities are wide open.