Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing titles for the Criterion studio, the team behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which 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 UK studio called Fuse Games. Just over three years later, Fuse is on the verge of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, published by the newly autonomous Secret Mode.
Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars racing game—2002’s Racer Revenge—at a time when the racing genre has generally lost steam. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market didn’t seem to fit the game. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a racing powerhouse, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still demand for a Star Wars‑themed racer. “We clearly believe there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community’s reactions to our videos and articles suggest we’re not alone in thinking that.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably re‑emerge as more people play video games, allowing even the tiniest niches to find broader appeal.
Webster argues that gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio’s goal was to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, "What can we do when we’re not limited by tyres and tarmac?" The answer includes wildly imaginative tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and feel like roller‑coasters at times. Beyond the arcade thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing racing conventions. Traditionally, racing games revolve around collecting cars—a formula that hasn’t changed in two decades.
Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases penalties, but Fuse wants crashes to matter.
When a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, yet they retain some meta‑progression that makes the next attempt slightly stronger. This risk‑reward dynamic forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their final allowed crash. The game’s design is also inspired by roguelike principles found in titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built for endless replayability.
"Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven." The idea is to keep each run fresh, encouraging players to experiment with different strategies and vehicle upgrades. Webster acknowledges that launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is risky, especially with GTA 6 slated for November 19. Galactic Racer is set for release on October 6, a comfortable gap from the GTA launch but still close to other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both September 24).
He notes that the industry has always faced busy windows; “September looks busy,” he recalls, “but October has historically been a ‘murderer’s row’ for games.” Fuse approaches the market with confidence tempered by realism, trusting that good games eventually find their audience. Reflecting on the wave of layoffs across the sector, Webster stresses that strong teams create great games, and great games attract players.
He sees a current industry aversion to risk, which he believes opens opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. Yet he admits that securing funding for a new independent studio in 2023 has been challenging. After 32 years at EA, he found himself in a bubble and had to relearn how to build a sustainable operation: assemble a talented core, refine a clear creative vision, plan diligently while accepting that plans will evolve, and keep the team motivated.
Fuse Games remains relatively lean for a AAA‑scale project, employing around 75 people. This size is intentional; the studio avoids the typical cycle of rapid expansion and contraction by relying heavily on external partners. Rather than a “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” rhythm, Fuse uses a stable core team supplemented by trusted outsourcers and co‑development studios that integrate into daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and codebases. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as ideal for such collaborations, noting that today’s external studios are eager to work on varied projects, keeping talent fresh and engaged.
The result, he believes, is a sustainable model for producing AAA‑level games on a realistic budget. The rapid development timeline—starting Fuse in January 2023 and delivering a full‑scale UE5 title in just three and a half years—demonstrates the viability of this approach.
Webster is especially proud of the influx of younger developers. One producer on Galactic Racer had never worked in games before, and the team’s youthful energy has, in many cases, outperformed expectations compared to more senior hires. He plans to formalise an internship program to nurture this talent, though the studio is still pre‑revenue.
Drawing on Criterion’s successful intern pipelines, Webster hopes to replicate that model, acknowledging the costs involved in cultivating new talent. He also critiques the industry’s past fixation on the myth of a singular creative visionary, calling it “bullshit.” In reality, games are collaborative endeavors, and success depends on cohesive teams rather than lone geniuses.
Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains flexible. While the launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, the studio is open to exploring future opportunities and ideas. Webster emphasizes that independence requires adaptability, and the team is prepared to pivot as market conditions evolve.