Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling team 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 racing experience – 2002’s Racer Revenge – and it does so at a moment when traditional racing games have struggled to capture mainstream attention. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market simply didn’t seem to fit the project.
Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted to the Battlefield franchise, signaling a broader industry shift away from pure‑racing experiences. Despite these headwinds, Webster is convinced there is still demand for a Star Wars‑themed racer. “We clearly believe there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response 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 player tastes evolve.
“The more people play video games, the larger the audience even the tiniest niche can find,” Webster added. According to Webster, gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of an arcade racer while also exploring what becomes possible once you free yourself from the constraints of realistic tyres and tarmac.
"One of our tracks climbs the side of an active volcano – it’s practically a roller‑coaster," he explained. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer deliberately subverts several long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Traditionally, racing games revolve around a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for two decades.
Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. The game emphasizes consequential decision‑making, particularly around crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for mistakes; Fuse chose to re‑introduce risk, making each crash matter.
"If you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, but you retain some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position," he said. "When you’re on your last allowed crash, the tension is palpable – you start weighing every risk." The design philosophy draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," Webster noted.
This approach also aligns with the studio’s broader ambition to move away from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA releases, especially as they prepare to launch in a crowded calendar that includes heavyweight titles like GTA 6, Control: Resonance, and Silent Hill: Townfall. Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but remains confident. He recalls past industry chatter about “murderer’s row” in September releases and points out that October has historically been just as busy.
"We have a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out," he said. "Good games find a way, and we’re hoping ours does too." When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflected on his own long tenure. He remembered a similar bout of cuts fifteen years ago and observed that great teams consistently produce great games, which in turn attract audiences. He warned that the current risk‑averse climate can stifle innovation, but also noted that it creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets.
Funding, however, has not been easy for the newly formed studio. "People told me it was brave to start an independent studio in 2023," Webster recalled. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a very different environment. He emphasized a set of core principles: building a talented team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning while staying adaptable.
"The plan is always wrong, but it’s the best version you have today," he said, underscoring the importance of iteration and staying true to values. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team of about 75 developers – small for a title of AAA scope. This size is intentional; the studio wants to avoid the boom‑and‑bust cycle of rapidly expanding and contracting staff that plagues many large developers. Instead, they rely on external partners to fill gaps, employing a spectrum of collaboration from transactional outsourcing to full co‑development where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and codebases.
Webster highlighted the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such partnerships, noting a cultural shift where companies now willingly collaborate rather than reluctantly share resources. Webster believes this hybrid model can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer – launched just three and a half years after Fuse’s founding – serves as proof of concept.
"We built a studio, a team, and a UE5‑based game that none of us had mastered before, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way," he said proudly. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of young talent. Many of the developers, including a producer with no prior gaming experience, are fresh faces.
"The younger talent we’ve hired is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age," Webster observed. He argued that nurturing junior staff can be more rewarding than relying solely on seasoned veterans who may prefer minimal interaction. The studio plans to eventually launch an intern program, though it remains pre‑revenue and cautious about the costs involved.
Reflecting on a period a few years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalled how many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover the challenges were greater than anticipated. He criticized the lingering myth of the "lone visionary" as "bullshit," insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. Looking ahead, Fuse Games is still shaping its post‑launch roadmap. While they have ideas for future projects, Webster emphasized the need for flexibility and adaptability as an independent studio.
"The launch is just the beginning for us," he said. "We’ll be talking to partners about opportunities, but we have to stay agile in this ever‑changing market."