Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
Yet in early 2023 he, along with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, chose to step away and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of releasing 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*. In the intervening decades racing games have generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently abandoned a publishing deal with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking, “we didn’t see a real fit in the market for that game.” Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted toward the *Battlefield* franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster is convinced 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 feeling that, and the response to our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” Webster points out that genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a phase where shooters dominated everything, but that’s not the whole story.
As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable audience.” He 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 craft something fresh, blending the instant gratification of classic arcade racers with imaginative, physics‑defying track design. “We wanted to explore what’s possible when you’re not limited by tyres and tarmac,” Webster explains. “One of our courses climbs the side of an active volcano – it feels like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditionally, racing titles revolve around car collection—a formula that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. The result is a system built around meaningful decision‑making, where crashing carries real consequences.
In many modern racers a rewind button erases mistakes, but Fuse re‑introduces risk: “If you crash too many times 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 allowed crash, you feel the tension and have to weigh the risk of pushing harder.” The design philosophy draws inspiration from roguelikes such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*—games engineered for infinite replayability.
Racing, by nature, thrives on repeated runs, so merging those two ideas creates a “match made in heaven,” according to Webster. This emphasis on replay value also aligns with the studio’s broader strategy of delivering a AAA‑scale experience without the massive budgets typically associated with big‑studio productions. Webster acknowledges the timing of the launch is challenging. *Galactic Racer* is slated for October 6, sandwiched between the anticipated release of *GTA 6* in November and other high‑profile titles such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24.
Yet he reminds us that crowded release windows are nothing new. “People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row’ because it was packed with games,” he notes.
“We have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” When the conversation shifts to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure. He recalls a previous layoff cycle fifteen years ago and stresses a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. He sees the current risk‑averse climate as a double‑edged sword—while many studios shy away from bold ideas, those willing to take calculated risks can carve out opportunities. Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been far from easy.
“People told me, ‘You’re brave starting an indie studio now,’” Webster says. After 32 years at EA, stepping into an uncertain environment forced him to rely on core principles: building a talented team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. He emphasizes that an engaged, motivated team is the engine behind any successful project.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively small core staff of about 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles common in larger studios. Instead, the studio leans on external development partners to fill gaps, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even the codebase.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage, noting that today’s external partners are eager collaborators rather than reluctant contractors. This hybrid model, he believes, demonstrates that a AAA‑level game can be produced on a sustainable budget when a lean core team is complemented by trusted external allies. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* underscores the viability of this approach: “We started Fuse in January 2023.
Three and a half years later we have a studio, a team, and a game built on Unreal Engine 5—something none of us knew at the outset. It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way.” A noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s culture is its blend of veteran expertise and fresh talent. While the studio includes Criterion veterans, many younger developers have joined the project, including a producer with no prior game‑industry experience. “The young talent we’ve brought in is incredibly smart and effective—often more so than I was at that age,” Webster says.
He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior co‑workers who need little guidance, but nurturing junior staff creates mutual motivation and drives innovation. The studio hopes to formalize an internship program in the future, though he cautions that they are still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs of talent development. Looking back to a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful teams were given funding to spin off their own studios, only to discover how difficult independent operation can be.
He argues that money should have been directed toward strong teams rather than idolizing a single “creative visionary”—a notion he calls “fucking bullshit.” In his view, games are always the product of collaborative effort. As for what lies ahead for Fuse Games, the answer is still forming.
Webster says the launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning. “We’ll be talking to partners about future opportunities, we have ideas for where we want to go, but as an independent developer we have to stay flexible and adaptable.” The studio’s commitment to a balanced model of a small, permanent core team plus reliable external collaborators may well become a blueprint for sustainable AAA‑level development in the years to come.