Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch Fuse Games, an independent studio based in the United Kingdom.
Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent 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 the racing genre has lost some of its mainstream sparkle. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer.
Meanwhile Criterion itself has shifted focus from pure racing to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still demand for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“Our community feedback and the buzz around our videos suggest we’re not the only ones who think so.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other styles inevitably rise again. "As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable audience," he explained.
He believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. Fuse Games set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, "What could we do if we weren’t limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?" The answer is a series of wildly imaginative tracks, including a course that spirals up the side of an active volcano and feels more like a roller‑coaster than a conventional circuit. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions. Traditionally, racing titles revolve around collecting cars—a formula that has remained largely unchanged for two decades.
Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the emphasis on meaningful consequences. In many modern racers, a "rewind" button can erase mistakes, diluting the impact of crashing. Galactic Racer reintroduces risk by making crashes matter: too many collisions send you back to the start, though you retain a portion of meta‑progress that places you in a slightly stronger position.
This design draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, games celebrated for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster noted, "so combining it with roguelike loops feels like a perfect match." The tension of managing limited lives, weighing risk versus reward, and learning from each failure is meant to keep players engaged long after they finish the main story.
Releasing the game on October 6 positions it a month before the highly anticipated GTA 6 launch on November 19, yet after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24). Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but reminds us that the industry has always endured busy windows. "People used to call September ‘murderers’ row,’" he recalled, "and October has always been packed with big titles. We just have a healthy confidence tempered by realism." He adds that good games eventually find their audience, a belief reinforced by his memory of past industry layoffs.
"Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience," he said, noting that risk‑averse trends can actually open doors for studios willing to gamble on fresh ideas. Funding an independent studio in 2023 proved challenging. After three decades at EA, Webster found himself navigating a landscape where investors were skeptical of new, small‑scale ventures.
He emphasizes a core philosophy: build a strong, motivated team; craft a clear creative vision; accept that plans will evolve; and stay true to core values. By keeping the core staff around 75 people, Fuse avoids the boom‑and‑bust hiring cycles that plague many AAA projects.
Instead, they supplement the core with external partners ranging from transactional asset outsourcers to full‑scale co‑development studios that sit in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and shared codebases. The UK, with its mature development ecosystem, proves especially conducive to this hybrid model. In the past, external studios often helped only out of necessity, but today many firms actively seek collaborative projects, keeping their talent fresh and enthusiastic.
Webster believes this approach can deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a complete UE5‑based game in just three and a half years—demonstrates the viability of the model. Fuse’s roster blends veteran Criterion staff with a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before.
"Our young talent is incredibly smart and effective, often surpassing what we could have expected at their age," Webster said. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal mentorship, which can stifle growth. By deliberately nurturing younger staff, Fuse hopes to create a culture where mentorship fuels both parties. While the studio is still pre‑revenue, Webster envisions an intern program modeled after Criterion’s successful initiatives, acknowledging the upfront costs but believing the long‑term payoff justifies the investment.
Reflecting on the industry’s past boom years, Webster recalls a time when successful games attracted easy funding for spin‑off studios—often led by a single “creative visionary.” He dismisses that myth as "bullshit," insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. "Unless you’re a solo developer, great games are built by teams," he asserted. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains flexible.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the first step; the studio is already exploring future opportunities and potential directions. While no concrete roadmap is set, Webster’s message is clear: stay adaptable, keep taking calculated risks, and let a passionate, well‑balanced team drive the next chapter of independent game development.