Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing iconic titles such as Burnout and Need for Speed through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
Yet in early 2023, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, chose to leave the corporate behemoth and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later, the fledgling studio stands on the brink 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, and it does so at a time when the racing genre has struggled to maintain mainstream appeal.
Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects to focus on the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists. “We clearly believe there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“Our community feedback – video views, article comments – suggests we’re not alone in that belief.” He points out that genres are cyclical. “Shooters dominated for a while, but that’s only one part of the picture. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable audience.” Webster argues that gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
Fuse’s vision for the game is rooted in classic arcade gratification while also pushing the boundaries of what a racing experience can be when it’s no longer tethered to realistic tyres and tarmac. "Imagine a track that climbs the side of an active volcano – it’s practically a roller‑coaster," Webster explains. This emphasis on spectacle is balanced by a desire to upend long‑standing conventions.
Traditional racing titles have relied on a static car‑collection model for two decades. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the incorporation of meaningful consequences for player mistakes.
In many modern racers, a rewind button erases the impact of crashing, reducing risk to a trivial concern. Fuse is re‑introducing stakes: crashing too often forces the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a slightly stronger position.
"When you’re on your last allowed crash, you start weighing risk differently," Webster says, highlighting the psychological tension this creates. The game’s structure also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games designed for infinite replayability.
"Racing thrives on replay value, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," he notes. This design philosophy encourages players to experiment, learn from failures, and return stronger, echoing the iterative learning loops found in successful indie and AAA titles alike. Launching in a crowded calendar, Galactic Racer will hit shelves on October 6, sandwiched between heavyweight releases like Control: Resonance (September 24) and Silent Hill: Townfall, and a month ahead of the highly anticipated GTA 6 slated for November 19.
Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but remains confident. "The market has always been busy; October used to be called ‘Murderer’s Row’ because of the sheer volume of releases.
We have a healthy sense of confidence tempered by realism.” He also reflects on the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios. Having lived through a similar downturn fifteen years ago, Webster sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He warns that an industry averse to risk can stifle innovation, yet he believes that calculated risk‑taking opens doors for studios willing to push boundaries. Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy.
"People told me I was brave to start an indie studio now after 32 years at EA," he recalls. The solution, according to Webster, lies in adhering to core principles: building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while recognizing that plans will inevitably evolve. He stresses the importance of engaging and motivating talent, noting that a motivated crew can achieve remarkable outcomes even with limited resources.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of around 75 staff members, a deliberate choice to avoid the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle that plagues many larger studios. Instead, they augment capabilities through external development partners.
This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to deep co‑development relationships where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, profit‑driven outsourcing to enthusiastic, skill‑focused partnerships. The rapid development timeline—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete AAA‑scale game built on Unreal Engine 5—serves as proof that this model can work sustainably. "We started Fuse in January 2023, and by now we have a studio, a team, and a full‑blown game on an engine none of us previously mastered.
It feels like a genuine achievement," Webster says. A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the blend of veteran Criterion alumni with a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before.
"Our young talent is often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," Webster admits. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who need minimal interaction, which can hinder mentorship. By pivoting hiring practices toward nurturing fresh talent, Fuse believes it gains both creative vitality and long‑term loyalty.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalise an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio remains pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s historic success with its own intern pipelines as an aspirational benchmark. "You have to go into it with eyes wide open and recognise the cost of developing talent," he warns. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many successful developers were handed funding to start their own studios, only to discover the harsh realities of independent production.
He argues that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than idolising a single “creative visionary,” a notion he calls "complete nonsense." In his view, games are fundamentally collaborative creations. As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster remains cautiously optimistic but non‑committal.
"The launch is just the beginning. We’ll be talking to partners about new opportunities, and we have ideas about where we want to go, but as an independent studio you have to stay flexible and adaptable," he concludes.