Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years working on the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises after EA acquired Criterion 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 brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent label 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 appeal. 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 project didn’t fit the market. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has pivoted to the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster is convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community, the people who watch our videos and read our articles, tells us we’re not alone in thinking this.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. “We’ve had a period where shooters dominated, but that doesn’t mean other genres can’t come back,” Webster said.
“As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches begin to attract larger crowds.” According to him, gamers are seeking "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The design philosophy behind the game is rooted in classic arcade immediacy while also exploring what can be done when developers are no longer limited by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” Webster explained. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the title aims to upend long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditionally, racing games revolve around collecting cars—a formula that has stayed largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most radical ideas is to re‑introduce meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for mistakes.
Fuse wants to bring the risk back, making each crash matter. The game’s structure draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster noted, "so combining it with roguelike loops feels like a perfect match." If a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, but they retain a portion of meta‑progression that puts them in a stronger position for the next run. The looming threat of a final crash forces players to weigh risk versus reward, creating tension that is rarely seen in AAA racers.
Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with blockbuster releases like GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer is set for October 6, giving it a modest window before the biggest titles of the year, such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, hit the market on September 24. He notes that September has historically been a busy month, recalling the old “Murderer’s Row” of releases, and that October has always been packed as well. Still, Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realism.
“Good games find a way,” he said, echoing a mantra that has guided him through industry upheavals. Speaking about recent waves of layoffs, Webster reflects on his long tenure in the business.
He remembers a previous round of cuts about fifteen years ago and emphasizes a timeless truth: great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He observes a growing aversion to risk across the industry, which he believes creates opportunities for studios willing to make calculated bets. “When you avoid risk, you limit yourself,” he warned, “and you miss the chance to create something truly distinctive." Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Many questioned the wisdom of starting a new studio after a 32‑year career at EA.
Webster describes the experience as a crash course in applying the principles he learned at EA: building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning while staying adaptable. He stresses that a motivated, engaged team is the cornerstone of any successful project. Fuse Games remains relatively small for a title with AAA ambitions—around 75 core staff members.
This size is intentional; the studio wants to avoid the typical boom‑and‑bust cycle of scaling teams up and down. Instead, Fuse relies heavily on external development partners to fill gaps.
"We’re not following the grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink model," Webster explained. "Our approach could become the future template for AAA development: a lean permanent core supplemented by trusted partners who share our values." External collaboration at Fuse spans a spectrum from transactional outsourcing—where partners create assets on a contract basis—to full co‑development, where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share the codebase. The UK, with its mature game‑development ecosystem, proves especially fertile for this model. In the past, studios were reluctant to collaborate, often protecting their own IP.
Today, many companies hire developers who are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping the talent pool fresh and enthusiastic. Webster believes this hybrid model allows a studio to deliver AAA‑level scope, scale, and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete product—demonstrates the viability of this approach. "We started Fuse in January 2023, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, built a team, and produced a game that meets AAA standards," he said proudly.
"And we did it in a healthy, sustainable way." A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger talent alongside the Criterion veterans. Some producers on Galactic Racer had never worked in games before joining the project.
"Our young developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," Webster remarked. He observed that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, which can stifle mentorship.
By deliberately nurturing younger staff, Fuse has found a dynamic that energizes the entire team. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to establish a formal internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue.
He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model and acknowledges the cost and effort required to develop talent responsibly. Reflecting on the era when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many developers received funding to start their own studios after a hit game, only to discover the challenges were far greater than anticipated. He argues that money should have been directed toward strong teams rather than celebrated “single creative visionaries,” a notion he calls “bullshit.” In reality, games are collaborative creations involving many individuals.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible. While the launch of Galactic Racer marks a significant milestone, Webster says the team is already considering future opportunities and directions. "Independent developers need to stay adaptable," he concluded. "We have ideas, we have ambitions, but we’ll let the market and our resources guide us forward."