Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed while working at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster joined forces with former Criterion colleagues—Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant—to launch an independent UK studio called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling team 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*. In the intervening years, the racing genre has struggled to maintain a prominent place in the mainstream market. Amazon recently abandoned a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the product didn’t fit the current market landscape. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing, devoting its resources to the *Battlefield* franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly think there’s a market for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that way, and the response we get from people watching our videos and reading our 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 rise again. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” he explained.
Webster believes 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 feel of classic arcade racers while also exploring what becomes possible when you are no longer limited by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he said, describing a course that feels more like a roller‑coaster than a conventional road.
Beyond the arcade thrills, the game deliberately subverts several long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Most racing titles rely on 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. One of the most notable innovations is the emphasis on consequential decision‑making.
In many modern racers, a rewind button can erase mistakes, reducing the impact of crashes. *Galactic Racer* reintroduces risk: crashing too often sends you back to the start, though you retain a portion of your meta‑progression, placing you in a stronger position for the next attempt. This creates a tension where each crash feels meaningful, especially when you’re on your last allowed crash and the stakes feel critical.
The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike principles seen in games such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*. Those titles are built for infinite replayability, a quality that aligns naturally with racing, a genre that thrives on repeated runs and mastery. By combining roguelike progression with high‑speed racing, Fuse hopes to create a “match made in heaven” that encourages players to keep coming back for fresh runs, new strategies, and evolving challenges.
Webster acknowledges that this approach represents a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases. Yet he also recognizes the importance of timing in a crowded release calendar.
*Galactic Racer* is slated for launch on October 6, a respectable gap before the highly anticipated *GTA 6* due November 19, but still close to other major releases such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24. He notes that the industry has long dealt with packed September and October windows, recalling past periods dubbed “Murderer’s Row” where a flood of high‑profile titles competed for attention.
“We have a healthy sense of confidence, tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out,” Webster said. The conversation then turned to the broader industry climate, particularly the wave of layoffs that has swept through major publishers. Webster, who has witnessed similar cut‑backs a decade and a half ago, observes that great teams produce great games, and great games find an audience.
He argues that the current risk‑averse environment actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re unwilling to risk, you limit yourself and the market loses potential innovation,” he warned. Funding, however, has not been easy for a new independent studio in 2023.
“People said, ‘You’re brave starting an indie studio now,’” Webster recalled. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a completely different landscape. He emphasized a set of core principles: assembling 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.
Review, adapt, and stay true to your values,” he said, underscoring the importance of motivated talent in delivering outstanding work. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 people—by design. Rather than scaling the team up and down repeatedly, the studio leans on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model mixes transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the code base.
Webster highlighted the UK’s mature game development ecosystem as especially conducive to this collaborative approach, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their staff fresh and enthusiastic. According to Webster, this structure allows a studio to produce a AAA‑level game in scope, scale, and visual fidelity while keeping the budget sustainable. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—just three and a half years from the founding of Fuse to a near‑complete product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates the viability of this model.
“We started Fuse in January 2023, and now we have a studio, a team, and a game we didn’t even know how to build at the start,” he said proudly. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the blend of veteran Criterion talent with a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before. Webster expressed genuine excitement about the fresh perspectives these newcomers bring. “They are smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age,” he admitted, adding that the studio has seen greater success with its younger talent than with some senior hires.
He believes nurturing junior staff not only motivates them but also energizes senior team members, creating a mutually beneficial environment. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs involved. He reflects on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, and many developers received funding to launch their own studios based on a single successful title. “That money should have gone to great teams, not just superstar developers,” he argued, dismissing the myth of the lone creative visionary as “fucking bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative endeavors.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains open‑ended. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio is already contemplating new opportunities while staying flexible and adaptable—qualities he deems essential for independent developers in today’s ever‑changing market.