Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while at Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, alongside fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Just over three years later, the fledgling studio is poised to release its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. It arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*, and it does so during a period when traditional racing games have struggled to capture mainstream attention.
Amazon recently abandoned a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the project didn’t seem to fit the market. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted toward the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. "Clearly we think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game," he told GamesIndustry.biz.
"We don’t think we’re the only ones. From the comments we see on our videos and articles, it looks like we’re not alone in this belief." He adds that genre popularity tends to be cyclical.
"We’ve had a phase where shooters dominated, but that’s not the whole story. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger following." Webster argues that gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he believes *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that. The team set out to capture the instant gratification of an arcade racer while also asking, "What can we do when we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?" The answer, he says, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano or loop around impossible geometry – essentially a roller‑coaster that defies real‑world physics. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, *Galactic Racer* seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
For two decades, most racers have been built around a car‑collection model, a formula that Webster believes is overdue for disruption. "Let’s rip that up and steal ideas from other genres," he says. One of those ideas is the incorporation of meaningful consequence systems, inspired by roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*.
In many modern racers, a rewind mechanic erases the impact of mistakes, but Webster wants crashes to matter. Too many crashes will send a player back to the start, yet some meta‑progression carries over, allowing a more powerful re‑entry. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they are on their final allowable crash. The replayability focus aligns naturally with racing.
"Racing thrives on replayability, and roguelikes are built for infinite runs," Webster explains. By blending these philosophies, the game aspires to be a "match made in heaven" that keeps players returning for fresh runs, new strategies, and evolving challenges. Launching on October 6, *Galactic Racer* lands in a crowded pre‑holiday window, sandwiched between heavyweight releases such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* (both September 24) and the highly anticipated *GTA 6* slated for November 19. Webster acknowledges the competition but points out that busy September release schedules are nothing new.
"I remember the ‘Murderer’s Row’ era where October was jam‑packed," he recalls, emphasizing that Fuse Games approaches the market with a "healthy sense of confidence" tempered by realistic expectations. When asked about industry layoffs, Webster reflects on his long tenure.
He notes that great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He sees the current risk‑averse climate as an opening for studios willing to make calculated bets.
"If you shy away from risk, you limit opportunity," he warns, underscoring the importance of bold, yet thoughtful, creative decisions. Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been straightforward. Webster describes the skepticism he faced: "People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio now.’" After 32 years at EA, he had to adapt quickly, relying on core principles: assemble a talented team, sharpen a creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve.
He stresses that engaged, motivated talent is the engine of great games, and it is the studio’s responsibility to nurture that engagement. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team of about 75 developers, a deliberate choice to avoid the industry’s typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle.
Instead, the studio leverages external partners for both transactional asset creation and deeper co‑development, treating trusted collaborators as extensions of the internal team. The UK’s mature development ecosystem proves advantageous, offering a pool of studios eager to work on diverse projects rather than merely seeking their own independent titles. Webster believes this hybrid model—small permanent core plus flexible external partners—demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game can be produced on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* illustrates this point: Fuse launched in January 2023, and three and a half years later they have delivered a UE5‑powered title despite initially lacking deep engine expertise.
Another striking aspect of Fuse’s approach is its emphasis on youthful talent. Alongside the veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has recruited many younger developers, even hiring a producer with no prior gaming experience.
"The young talent we’ve brought in is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age," Webster admits, noting that nurturing junior staff has yielded greater success than relying solely on senior hires. He envisions an intern program in the future, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must weigh the costs of talent development. Reflecting on the earlier era when studios received abundant funding after a hit, Webster observes that money often went to individual “superstar” developers rather than to cohesive teams.
He calls the fixation on a singular creative visionary “bullshit,” emphasizing that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains open‑ended about its next steps. While the launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, Webster says the studio will explore new opportunities as they arise, staying flexible and adaptable—a necessity for independent developers in today’s volatile market.