Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of 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 joined forces 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. Three and a half 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 game arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing experience, *Racer Revenge* (2002). In the intervening decades the racing genre has generally lost steam. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving game called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Criterion itself has shifted focus from pure racing to the large‑scale shooter franchise *Battlefield*.
Despite these signals, Webster is convinced a market exists for a new Star Wars racing title. “We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that way – the reaction we get from videos and articles suggests many fans are waiting for something like this.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface, especially as the overall pool of gamers grows.
“The more people play video games, the larger even the tiniest niche becomes,” Webster explained. Webster believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he sees *Galactic Racer* as delivering exactly that. The studio’s vision is to blend the instant gratification of classic arcade racing with imaginative, physics‑defying environments that would be impossible in a realistic car‑on‑tarmac setting.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he said. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster rather than a traditional circuit.” Beyond the flashy thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions. Most racing titles have relied on a car‑collection model for the past two decades, a structure Webster wants to tear apart.
He suggests borrowing mechanics from other genres to freshen the experience. One such borrowing comes from roguelike games such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*, which emphasize infinite replayability and meaningful consequences. In *Galactic Racer*, crashes are no longer trivial setbacks that can be undone with a rewind button. Instead, each crash pushes the player closer to a reset, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a sense of forward momentum even after failure.
This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh the danger of aggressive driving against the reward of advancing further in a run. The design philosophy represents a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA titles.
Webster acknowledges the challenge of standing out in a crowded release calendar, especially with heavyweight titles like *GTA 6* slated for November 19. *Galactic Racer* is scheduled for October 6, a comfortable window that still lands after major September releases such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall*.
While some industry observers warned that September is a busy month, Webster recalled past years when October was considered “murderer’s row” for game launches, suggesting that a well‑timed release can still capture attention. The conversation inevitably turned to the broader context of industry layoffs and risk aversion.
Having witnessed a wave of cuts a decade and a half ago, Webster sees a pattern: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. He argues that today’s market is overly cautious, which paradoxically creates openings for studios willing to take calculated risks.
“If you shy away from risk, you limit opportunity,” he said. Running an independent studio in 2023 has not been without its hurdles. Securing funding proved difficult, and many questioned the wisdom of launching a new studio in a volatile climate. Webster reflects on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing the shift to independence as stepping out of a bubble.
He emphasizes core principles: building 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," he noted, underscoring the need for continuous review and alignment with values. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑bust staffing cycles that plague many large developers. Instead of scaling the internal team up and down, Fuse leverages external partners for additional capacity.
This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even the code base. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaboration, noting that modern studios are eager to work on diverse projects rather than being locked into a single product line.
According to Webster, this approach enables a AAA‑scale game to be produced on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a complete UE5‑powered title in just over three years—serves as proof of concept. "We built a studio, a team, and a game on an engine none of us previously knew," he said, describing the achievement as both impressive and healthy.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of young talent alongside seasoned veterans. Some producers on *Galactic Racer* had never worked in games before joining the project.
Webster praises this fresh perspective, stating that younger developers often bring a level of intelligence and efficiency that surpasses his own capabilities at that age. He observes that senior developers sometimes prefer working with equally experienced colleagues who require minimal mentorship, but nurturing younger staff can be equally motivating for all parties involved. The studio hopes to formalize an internship program in the future, though it remains pre‑revenue at present. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful teams to spin off their own studios, only to discover the reality of building a business was far tougher than anticipated.
He criticizes the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “bullshit,” insisting that games are always the product of collaborative effort. "Unless you’re a solo developer, games are made by teams of individuals," he affirmed.
Looking ahead, Fuse Games has no fixed roadmap beyond the launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*. Webster says the studio will remain flexible, exploring opportunities as they arise while staying true to its core values.
The upcoming release is just the beginning, and the team hopes the game’s blend of arcade excitement, roguelike depth, and Star Wars flair will resonate with both longtime racers and newcomers alike.