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 almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the umbrella of Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate giant and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling company is preparing to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly autonomous label Secret Mode. Galactic Racer arrives roughly twenty‑four years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, the 2002 release Racer Revenge.
In the intervening years the racing genre has struggled to maintain a prominent place on the market. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a new driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the product didn’t seem to fit the current market demand.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing and now works on the Battlefield series. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a viable audience exists 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 gaming genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably re‑emerge. As the overall player base expands, even the smallest niches can attract larger followings.
Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers on that promise. The studio set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when you’re no longer limited by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “It’s like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond the arcade thrills, Galactic Racer attempts to overturn long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
Traditionally, racing games revolve around a car‑collection model that has changed little for two decades. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One such mechanic is meaningful consequence for mistakes. In many modern racers a rewind button eliminates the penalty for crashing, but Fuse wants to bring consequences back.
Crashing repeatedly will send a player back to the start of a run, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing the player in a stronger position for the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their final allowed crash. The game’s structure also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games designed for endless replayability.
Racing, by nature, thrives on repeated runs, making the marriage of roguelike progression and high‑speed competition a “match made in heaven,” according to Webster. The design philosophy encourages players to experiment, learn from each failure, and gradually build a more powerful load‑out, mirroring the incremental upgrades found in roguelikes. Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands a month before the highly anticipated GTA 6, which is slated for November 19. The timing also follows other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.
Webster acknowledges that the pre‑holiday window is traditionally crowded, but he notes that the industry has long dealt with busy September and October schedules. “I was always told good games will find a way,” he says, emphasizing a measured optimism. When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his own long tenure and recalls a similar contraction about fifteen years ago.
He observes that great teams produce great games, and great games eventually find an audience. He also warns that an industry averse to risk can stifle innovation, yet he believes that calculated risk‑taking opens opportunities for studios willing to push boundaries. Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy.
Webster recounts how peers questioned his decision to start Fuse Games after three decades at EA. He stresses that the core principles he learned at EA—building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—remain essential, even if the plan is always imperfect. He adds that a motivated, engaged team is the key to delivering quality. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle seen in many AAA projects.
Instead, the studio leans on external partners to fill gaps, employing a mix of transactional outsourcing for asset creation and deeper co‑development relationships where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the United Kingdom as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that the local game development ecosystem has matured to the point where studios willingly partner on diverse projects rather than reluctantly helping each other out of necessity. Webster believes this hybrid model—small permanent team plus trusted external collaborators—offers a sustainable path to producing AAA‑level games on a more manageable budget.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer illustrates this point: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the team has built a studio, assembled a workforce, and created a game using Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of them had prior experience with. He describes the accomplishment as “healthy and sustainable.” Another notable aspect of Fuse’s approach is its emphasis on young talent. Alongside the veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has hired many developers early in their careers, even bringing on a producer who had never worked in games before. Webster praises this fresh perspective, stating that younger staff often prove smarter and more effective than he was at their age.
He argues that focusing solely on senior hires can hinder growth, whereas nurturing junior talent creates a dynamic, motivated environment. He hopes to formalise an internship programme in the future, though he reminds readers that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs involved. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a time when successful games generated enough capital for creators to spin off their own studios, only to discover that running a studio is far more challenging than anticipated.
He criticises the lingering myth of the “singular creative visionary” as “bullshit,” insisting that games are always the product of collaborative effort rather than the vision of a lone genius. Looking ahead, Webster admits that Fuse’s next steps are still being defined. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas.
He emphasises flexibility and adaptability as essential traits for independent developers navigating today’s volatile market.