Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the Criterion umbrella, a studio 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 UK studio called Fuse Games.
Just three and a half years later, Fuse is poised to release its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly autonomous label Secret Mode. Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game—2002’s Racer Revenge—at a moment when the racing genre has generally lost steam. 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 have room for another racer. Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has since pivoted to the Battlefield series.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a demand for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly believe there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community of video‑watchers and readers tells us we’re not alone in that belief.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical.
While shooters dominated the market for a while, other categories inevitably resurface as the player base broadens. “The more people who play video games, the larger even the tiniest niche becomes,” Webster explained. He argues that gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and that Galactic Racer is designed to satisfy that craving.
Fuse’s vision for the game is rooted in classic arcade gratification while also exploring what can be achieved once developers free themselves from the constraints of realistic tires and tarmac. "Imagine tracks that climb the side of an active volcano or twist like a roller‑coaster," he said.
These over‑the‑top environments aim to capture the thrill of arcade racing while also pushing the genre’s boundaries. Beyond high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to overturn long‑standing conventions. Most racing games have relied on a static car‑collection model for the past two decades. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
The title incorporates meaningful consequences for player actions, such as crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind feature erases any penalty for a mistake; Galactic Racer reintroduces risk by making crashes affect progress. If a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a stronger position for the next attempt.
This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh the danger of aggressive driving against the potential payoff. The game’s structure also draws inspiration from roguelike titles like Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster noted, "so combining it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven." By embedding procedural elements and persistent upgrades, Galactic Racer aims to keep players coming back for fresh runs, each with new challenges and strategic decisions.
Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with blockbuster releases such as GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer’s launch date of October 6 places it between several high‑profile titles, including Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24). Yet he reminds us that busy September windows are nothing new; historically, October has been a bustling month for releases, often referred to as “murderers’ row.” Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations, trusting that good games will eventually find their audience. The conversation turns to the broader industry climate, marked by recent layoffs and a growing aversion to risk.
Webster, who has witnessed multiple waves of downsizing, believes that great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He argues that the current risk‑averse environment actually opens opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. However, he also admits that securing funding for a new independent studio in 2023 has been a significant hurdle. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating an unfamiliar landscape, relying on core principles: building a talented team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined yet flexible planning.
Fuse operates with a relatively small core team—around 75 people—by design. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in the typical AAA fashion, the studio leverages external development partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the code base. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as particularly conducive to this collaborative approach, noting that many companies now actively seek varied project work to keep their staff motivated and fresh.
According to Webster, this lean‑core‑plus‑partners model can deliver AAA‑scale scope, fidelity, and ambition on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑ready product built on Unreal Engine 5—serves as proof of concept. "We started Fuse in January 2023, and now we have a studio, a team, and a game built on an engine none of us previously mastered," he said, expressing pride in the achievement. A notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its emphasis on youthful talent.
While the studio includes veteran Criterion alumni, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry; one producer had never worked on a game before joining the project. Webster praises the energy and effectiveness of these younger team members, suggesting that they have often outperformed more senior hires. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work with equally senior colleagues, which can limit mentorship opportunities. In contrast, Fuse deliberately nurtures and empowers its junior staff, believing that this approach fuels both individual growth and overall team motivation.
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 be mindful of the costs associated with talent development. He reflects on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital and many successful developers were encouraged to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independent operation. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fascination with the myth of the solitary creative visionary, calling it "bullshit" and emphasizing that games are always collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains fluid.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio is open to exploring new opportunities while staying adaptable. Webster concludes with a pragmatic optimism: "Good games will find a way, and we’re hoping ours does too."