Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started there in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to iconic franchises like 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 a new independent venture, Fuse Games, based in the United Kingdom. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the freshly independent publisher 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 generally lost some of its mainstream momentum. Amazon recently abandoned a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market didn’t appear to support the project.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing to work on the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community feedback—videos, articles, forum chatter—suggests we’re not the only ones who think so.” He argues that video‑game genres are inherently cyclical. “We’ve had a period where shooters dominated, but that doesn’t mean other genres can’t re‑emerge. As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable following.” Webster believes players are craving fresh, compelling experiences that feel novel, and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
“Our vision is to create something that feels new and exciting,” he says. Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What could we do if we weren’t limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than highways. Yet the studio isn’t just adding spectacle for its own sake; it wants to upend long‑standing conventions within the genre. Most racing games have relied on a static car‑collection model for the past two decades.
“Let’s tear that apart and borrow ideas from other genres,” Webster suggests. One of the most radical departures is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player mistakes. In many modern racers, a rewind mechanic erases the impact of a crash, making failure feel inconsequential. Galactic Racer, by contrast, re‑introduces risk: crashing too often forces a restart, though players retain some meta‑progression that puts them in a stronger position the next run.
This risk‑reward loop is inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replay value, so marrying it with roguelike mechanics feels like a perfect match," Webster explains. When a player exhausts their allotted crashes, they are sent back to the beginning of the race, but they carry forward upgrades or unlocks that make the subsequent attempt feel like genuine progress.
This design choice pushes players to weigh the temptation of aggressive driving against the looming penalty of a crash, creating tension that many AAA racers have deliberately avoided. Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with blockbuster titles like GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer’s release on October 6 places it between other major launches such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24). Yet he points out that crowded September releases have happened before; in his experience, October has historically been a “murderer’s row” of releases.
Despite the competition, Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy confidence” tempered by realism. “Good games find a way,” he says, echoing an industry maxim that has guided his long career. The conversation then shifts to the broader industry climate, particularly the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios in recent years.
Webster reflects on a similar downturn fifteen years ago, noting that strong teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He sees the current risk‑averse environment as both a challenge and an opportunity: “Those willing to take calculated risks can carve out space for themselves,” he observes. Funding, however, remains a significant hurdle for new independent studios.
When Fuse announced its formation in early 2023, many questioned the wisdom of starting a studio in a tight funding climate. Webster admits the skepticism: “People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio in 2023.’” After 32 years at EA, he had to relearn how to build a company from the ground up.
His answer was to lean on core principles—assemble a talented team, clarify a creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning while staying adaptable. Fuse’s team is deliberately kept small—around 75 people—contrasting with the massive rosters typical of AAA development. Instead of the traditional “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle, the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill capability gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) with deep co‑development relationships where external studios participate in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share codebases.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature game‑development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, grudging assistance to enthusiastic, values‑aligned partnership. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game—by scope, visual fidelity, and ambition—can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a lean core team leverages trusted external talent. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer showcases the model’s efficacy: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the studio built its team, mastered Unreal Engine 5 (a technology none of them initially knew), and produced a polished, market‑ready title.
Another notable aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on youth. While the studio includes veterans from Criterion, a substantial portion of the workforce consists of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before. One producer, for example, entered the industry straight out of university.
Webster praises this infusion of fresh perspectives: “Our young talent is often more adaptable and innovative than many seasoned developers were at that age.” He also observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who require minimal mentorship, which can stifle growth. By deliberately nurturing younger staff, Fuse hopes to build a culture of continuous learning and motivation. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship pipeline, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must manage costs carefully. He points to Criterion’s successful intern programs as a model, emphasizing that developing talent demands both financial investment and a clear educational framework.
Reflecting on the era when the industry was flush with capital, Webster notes that many successful games spawned spin‑off studios funded by their creators, only for those ventures to encounter unexpected difficulties. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fascination with the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In reality, he insists, games are collaborative endeavors that thrive on the contributions of many individuals. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being charted.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas. Flexibility, he says, is essential for independent developers navigating an ever‑changing market.
"We have a sense of where we want to go, but we must stay adaptable," he concludes.