Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises at Criterion, the studio 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 UK studio, Fuse Games. Just over three years later, Fuse is poised to release 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, and it does so at a moment when racing games have generally slipped out of the spotlight. Amazon recently withdrew from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating, “we didn’t see a real fit in the market for that game.” Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing toward the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still demand for a Star Wars racing experience. “We definitely 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 feedback we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that gaming genres are cyclical. “We’ve had a period where shooters dominated, but that’s not the whole picture.
As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger fan base.” Webster believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racing while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano and courses that feel like roller‑coasters, delivering thrills that go beyond conventional roadways. Beyond the arcade spectacle, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing genre conventions. Traditional racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for roughly two decades.
Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases mistakes, reducing risk.
Fuse wants to bring the penalty 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 notes, "so pairing it with roguelike principles feels like a perfect match." If a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, but they retain some meta‑progression that places them in a stronger position for the next attempt. This creates a tension between risk and reward: "When you’re on your last crash and the system is critical, you really feel the weight of that decision." Webster acknowledges that this design choice is a bold departure from the hand‑holding common in many AAA titles, but he sees it as necessary to stand out in a crowded market, especially in a year when blockbuster releases like GTA 6 loom.
Galactic Racer is slated for launch on October 6, comfortably before GTA 6’s November 19 release but shortly after other major titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, which dropped on September 24. He points out that busy release windows are nothing new; “I remember the ‘Murderer’s Row’ era where October was packed with games,” he recalls, emphasizing that Fuse approaches the competition with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations. When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure. He remembers a previous round of cuts about fifteen years ago and notes a recurring truth: great teams make great games, and great games find their audiences.
He observes a growing aversion to risk among publishers, which he believes opens opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit your chances,” he says. Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without challenges. Funding proved difficult to secure, and many questioned the wisdom of launching a new studio after a 32‑year career at EA.
Webster’s response was to lean on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will evolve. He stresses that an engaged, motivated team is the engine of innovation. Fuse’s core team remains relatively small—around 75 people—by design.
Rather than inflating and deflating staff numbers, the studio relies on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends outsourcing for transactional asset creation with co‑development relationships where external studios become extensions of the internal team, participating in stand‑ups, Slack channels, and codebases. The UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem, Webster explains, makes it an ideal hub for such collaboration.
“In the past, other studios helped you only grudgingly, but now there’s a culture of shared talent and fresh perspectives.” Webster believes this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game—by scope, visual fidelity, and ambition—can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a lean core team partners with trusted external contributors. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer underscores this point: Fuse launched in January 2023, and three and a half years later they have produced a full‑featured UE5 title despite initially lacking deep engine expertise. "It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way," he says. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger developers alongside the Criterion veterans.
Some team members, including one producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster praises this fresh talent, noting that many of the younger staff are “smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age.” He argues that nurturing junior talent can be more rewarding than relying solely on senior hires who may prefer limited interaction. This philosophy has already led Fuse to adjust its recruitment strategy to prioritize emerging talent.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop young creators, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue. He cites Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model and acknowledges the costs associated with cultivating new talent. Reflecting on the boom years five or six years prior, when successful games attracted funding for spin‑off studios, he laments that money often went to “superstar developers” rather than to strong, collaborative teams.
He dismisses the industry’s fixation on a singular creative visionary as “bullshit,” emphasizing that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains fluid. While the launch of Galactic Racer marks a major milestone, the studio is already contemplating subsequent projects and potential partnerships. Webster stresses that independent developers must stay adaptable, ready to pivot as opportunities arise.
In his words, “We’ve got ideas about where we want to go, but flexibility is key in today’s landscape."