Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and, after nearly twenty years, helped shape iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed while working 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 studio in the United Kingdom called 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. *Galactic Racer* arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has struggled for mainstream attention. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a new driving title called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market didn’t appear to have a clear fit for the product.
Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has shifted its focus to the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these setbacks, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists for a Star Wars racing experience. “We definitely see an audience for a Star Wars‑based racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community of video‑game fans, the people who watch our streams and read our posts, seem to be hungry for something like this.
We’re not the only ones who think that.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical: “Shooters dominated for a while, but they’re not the only genre that can capture players’ imaginations. As more people play games, even the smallest niches can grow into sizable markets.” Webster believes gamers are searching for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers on that promise.
The team set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also exploring the possibilities that arise when you’re no longer bound by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains.
“Sometimes it feels more like a roller‑coaster than a traditional circuit.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game aims to upend long‑standing racing conventions. For decades, most racing titles have been built around a car‑collection model—players earn new vehicles over time, a formula that hasn’t fundamentally changed in twenty years.
Webster wants to tear that structure up and borrow ideas from other genres. He points to the influence of roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, which are designed for infinite replayability. By injecting that philosophy into a racing context, the developers hope to create a title that rewards repeated play through evolving strategies rather than simply unlocking new skins. One concrete example is how the game handles crashes.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for a mistake, reducing tension. *Galactic Racer* reintroduces consequence: too many crashes send the player back to the start of a run, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing the racer in a slightly stronger position.
"When you’re on your last crash and the system’s critical, you actually feel the risk," Webster says. This design choice reflects a broader trend away from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles.
The launch window also reflects strategic timing. *Galactic Racer* is slated for release on October 6, positioning it well before the highly anticipated *GTA 6* launch on November 19, yet after other major releases such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24. Webster acknowledges that the pre‑holiday calendar is historically crowded, noting that “September used to be called ‘Murderers’ Row’ for its density of releases, and October has always been packed.” He emphasizes that Fuse Games approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realism. When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure.
He recalls a similar contraction fifteen years ago and notes a recurring truth: “Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience.” He argues that today’s industry is risk‑averse, which can actually open doors for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit your opportunities,” he says. Funding, however, remains a hurdle for new independent studios.
Webster admits that launching a studio in 2023 felt “brave” because investors were skeptical. After three decades at EA, he had to adopt a new mindset: build a solid team, refine a clear creative vision, and stay disciplined while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve. He stresses that motivated talent is the engine of innovation, and that nurturing that talent is a core responsibility of leadership. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core staff—about 75 people—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting the internal team in response to project needs, the studio relies heavily on external partners for additional development capacity. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) with true co‑development, where outside studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share the code base.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaboration, noting that today’s external studios are eager to work on varied projects, keeping their staff fresh and engaged. According to Webster, this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game can be built on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team partners with trusted external contributors.
The rapid development cycle of *Galactic Racer*—starting in January 2023 and reaching a launch-ready state in just three and a half years—serves as proof of concept. The team built the game on Unreal Engine 5 despite none of them having prior experience with the engine, a testament to their adaptability and collective learning.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger developers. Some team members, including a producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster is impressed by their fresh perspectives, stating that they often outperform more senior hires in creativity and efficiency.
He believes that nurturing young talent not only accelerates innovation but also creates a more dynamic studio culture. While senior developers may prefer working with peers of similar experience, Webster argues that mentorship and collaboration across experience levels yields the best outcomes. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must manage costs carefully.
He references Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model and acknowledges that building talent requires both financial investment and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Reflecting on a period a few years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster observes that many developers who received funding based on past successes struggled when they tried to launch their own studios. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the “single creative visionary” myth, calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always the product of collaborative effort, not the sole vision of a lone genius. As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster admits the future is still being written.
The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and ideas. He emphasizes that independence demands flexibility: “We have to stay adaptable, keep learning, and be ready to pivot when the market changes.”