Matt Webster’s career seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing titles for the Criterion team, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which 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 studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games.
Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the verge of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, which will be published by the newly autonomous label Secret Mode. *Galactic Racer* arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*.
In the intervening years the racing genre has lost some of its mainstream shine. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer.
Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted toward the Battlefield franchise. Despite those signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “Clearly we 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 reaction we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface. As more people worldwide pick up video games, even the smallest niches can grow into sizable markets. Webster believes players are craving "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that.
The team set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What could we do if we weren’t limited by 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 environments that defy the physics of conventional road racing. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing 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. One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers a rewind button erases mistakes, but *Galactic Racer* re‑introduces risk: too many crashes send you back to the start, though you retain a sliver of meta‑progress that puts you in a stronger position the next run. This risk‑reward loop is inspired by roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*, which are built around infinite replayability.
Racing, by nature, thrives on repeated attempts, making the hybrid approach feel like a perfect match. Webster acknowledges that this design philosophy is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases. He also recognizes the timing challenge: the game launches on October 6, a month before the highly anticipated *GTA 6* (set for November 19) and shortly after other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24. Yet he notes that crowded pre‑Christmas windows are nothing new.
“People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row’ because it was jam‑packed with titles,” he recalled, adding that Fuse Games approaches the competition with “a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out.” When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure. He remembers a similar bout of cuts fifteen years ago and emphasizes a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience.
He argues that the industry’s current aversion to risk actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit yourself,” he said. Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Funding was scarce, and many peers questioned the wisdom of launching a new studio in a turbulent market.
Webster describes the experience as stepping out of a 32‑year bubble at EA into an unfamiliar reality. He leaned on principles he had learned over his career: build a strong, motivated team; refine a clear creative vision; accept that plans will inevitably be wrong but iterate quickly; and stay true to core values. By adhering to those guidelines, Fuse Games assembled a core team of roughly 75 people—small for a AAA‑scale project—but deliberately avoided the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues larger studios.
Instead, Fuse relies heavily on external development partners to fill gaps. The studio distinguishes between transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) and true co‑development, where external studios become extensions of the internal team, attending stand‑ups, joining Slack channels, and contributing directly to the codebase.
Webster highlights the United Kingdom as an especially fertile ground for co‑development, thanks to its mature game‑development ecosystem and a new culture of collaboration rather than competition. The result, he believes, is a sustainable model for producing AAA‑level experiences on a more manageable budget.
The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a full‑scale UE5 title in just three and a half years—demonstrates that the approach works. Webster is proud of the achievement, noting that the team learned a “shitload” along the way.
Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s strategy is the infusion of young talent. While the studio includes several veterans from Criterion, many of its developers are fresh faces, and one of the producers had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster says the younger crew often outperforms senior hires in terms of creativity, speed, and adaptability.
He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who need little guidance, but that environment can stifle growth. By nurturing junior staff, Fuse has discovered a more dynamic and motivated workforce. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to keep the pipeline of emerging talent flowing, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be prudent with resources. He cites Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model and stresses that developing talent comes with a cost that must be recognized up front.
Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful game teams to spin off their own studios, only to discover the reality of running a business is far tougher than anticipated. He criticizes the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “fucking bullshit,” insisting that games are always the product of collaborative effort. As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster admits the future is still being charted.
The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities, adapting its strategy as needed, and continuing to champion a balanced model of a lean core team bolstered by trusted external partners.