Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, before EA acquired it 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. Three and a half years later the fledgling team is on the brink of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, which will be published by the newly independent label Secret Mode.
The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002—more than two decades ago.
In the intervening years, pure‑arcade racing titles have struggled to maintain a foothold in the broader market. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving game *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the project didn’t fit the current market landscape. Even Criterion, once a powerhouse of racing, has pivoted toward the *Battlefield* franchise, effectively abandoning the genre.
Despite these signals, Webster 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 our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that entertainment genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably resurface as player tastes evolve.
“As more people play video games, even the tiniest niche can find a larger audience,” Webster added. Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he sees *Galactic Racer* as delivering exactly that. The team set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when you’re not limited by realistic tires and tarmac.
“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 high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
Most racing franchises rely on a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for the past twenty years. Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates risk, but *Galactic Racer* re‑introduces stakes: crash too often, and you’re sent back to the start, though you retain a degree of meta‑progression that makes you slightly more powerful on subsequent attempts. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their final allowed crash. The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, which emphasize infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike structures feels like a match made in heaven." The game therefore encourages players to experiment, learn from failure, and return stronger, echoing the loop that has made roguelikes so addictive.
Releasing *Galactic Racer* on October 6 places it in a crowded pre‑holiday window, but Webster is comfortable with the competition. The launch sits a month before the highly anticipated *GTA 6* (due November 19) and follows other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24. He recalls past years when September felt busy, yet developers still managed to cut through the noise.
"Back in the day we called it ‘Murderer’s Row,’ and October was packed," he says. "We have a healthy confidence, tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out." Webster also reflects on the wave of industry layoffs that has swept through studios.
Having lived through a similar contraction fifteen years ago, he believes strong teams produce great games, and great games find their audience. He observes a growing aversion to risk among larger publishers, which creates openings for studios willing to make calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to take those risks, you limit your opportunities,” he warns. Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy.
Many investors view new indie ventures with skepticism, especially when the founders have spent decades inside a corporate bubble like EA. Webster describes the challenge: “People said, ‘You’re brave starting an indie studio now.’ It felt like a shock to the system after 32 years at EA.” He stresses that the core principles he learned—building a solid team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—remain essential, even if the plan is always provisional. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague many AAA projects. Instead of scaling up and down internally, the studio leans on external partners for additional capacity.
This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) with co‑development relationships where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage, noting that today’s studios are more collaborative and less protective of their own IP than they were a decade ago. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team partners with trusted external contributors who share the same values.
The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—from Fuse’s founding in January 2023 to a launch in October 2026—demonstrates the model’s viability. "We built a studio, assembled a team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a full‑scale game in three and a half years," he says proudly. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of youthful talent. While the studio includes veterans from Criterion, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry, and one producer had never worked on a game before joining the project.
Webster is enthusiastic about this dynamic: "The young talent we’ve brought in is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age. It’s extraordinary. In many cases we’ve had greater success with junior staff than with senior hires from elsewhere." He also observes a cultural shift: seasoned developers often prefer to work alongside peers who need minimal guidance, but that mindset can stifle mentorship. By deliberately nurturing younger staff, Fuse creates a more engaged and motivated environment, which in turn boosts the performance of senior team members.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship pipeline to continue feeding fresh talent into the studio, though he admits the company is still pre‑revenue and must be prudent about the costs of talent development. He references Criterion’s successful intern programs as a model for what Fuse might achieve once it reaches financial stability.
Webster also critiques the industry’s historic fixation on the “lone creative visionary.” He argues that the notion of a single superstar driving a game’s success is "bullshit" and that great games are always the product of collaborative effort. The money that once flowed to high‑profile individuals, he says, would be better spent on strong, cohesive teams. As for Fuse’s future, the studio remains flexible.
While the launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* marks a major milestone, Webster emphasizes that the team will continue to explore new opportunities and adapt to market conditions. "We have ideas about where we want to go next, but as an independent developer you have to stay agile," he concludes.