Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years collaborating with Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed that EA acquired in 2004. Yet in early 2023 he, along with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Three and a half years later the fledgling company is poised to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent 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 time when the racing genre has generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight.
Recent industry news underscores that shift: Amazon walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market simply didn’t seem to have room for another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects and now focuses on the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars‑styled racing experience. “We clearly think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that, and the reaction we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He adds that gaming trends are cyclical. “Genres rise and fall.
After a period when shooters dominated, other styles re‑emerge. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niche can find a sizable fanbase.” Webster believes players are craving “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
The team set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when you’re not limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains.
“Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Traditionally, racing games have been built around a car‑collection model that has changed little for two decades. Webster wants to tear that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the biggest innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates penalty, but Fuse wants to re‑introduce risk. “If you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position,” he says. “When you’re on your last crash, you actually feel the weight of the decision.” The design philosophy also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability.
“Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster notes. Each run through Galactic Racer offers a fresh configuration of hazards, power‑ups and shortcuts, encouraging players to experiment and improve over multiple attempts.
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 is scheduled for release on October 6, which places it between several high‑profile September launches (Control: Resonance, Silent Hill: Townfall) and the massive GTA 6 debut.
“September always looks busy,” he recalls, “but I remember the ‘Murderer’s Row’ era when October was packed too. The market is competitive, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” The conversation naturally turns to the broader industry climate, which has been marked by waves of layoffs.
Webster, who has witnessed multiple cycles of downsizing, sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that the current aversion to risk creates space for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you shy away from risk, you limit opportunity,” he says. “Those who are brave enough to push boundaries can reap the rewards.” Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without hurdles.
Securing funding proved difficult, with many investors questioning the wisdom of launching a new studio in a volatile market. “People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio in 2023,’” Webster laughs. “After 32 years at EA I was used to a bubble.
This was a whole new world.” He emphasizes the core principles that guided Fuse: assembling a talented team, honing a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will evolve. “Engaged, motivated talent makes great things, so it’s our job to keep them inspired.” Fuse operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust scaling cycles common in AAA development. Instead, the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill gaps, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where outside studios attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels and share codebases. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage for finding reliable co‑development partners who share Fuse’s values.
He believes this hybrid model—small permanent core plus trusted external collaborators—could become a template for sustainable AAA production. “You can deliver a game of AAA scope, scale and fidelity on a more sustainable budget this way,” he asserts, noting that the rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer validates the approach.
“We started Fuse in January 2023. Three and a half years later we have a studio, a team, and a game built on Unreal Engine 5 that none of us originally knew inside‑out. It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable manner.” Another striking aspect of Fuse’s journey is the infusion of young talent. While the studio’s leadership includes seasoned veterans from Criterion, many of the developers are fresh faces, and one producer has never worked in games before.
“The young talent we’ve brought in is smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age,” Webster says proudly. He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but that dynamic can stifle growth. “Nurturing young talent engages and motivates everyone involved,” he explains, noting that Fuse has adjusted its hiring strategy to prioritize emerging developers. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue.
“We haven’t made any money yet,” he reminds us, “but we’re learning from Criterion’s successful intern initiatives and hope to follow suit. It requires a clear-eyed understanding of the costs involved in developing talent.” Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many creators who rode on the success of a hit game were encouraged to spin off their own studios—only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated. He argues that funding should flow to strong teams rather than being tied to a single “creative visionary,” a notion he calls “fucking bullshit.” In his view, games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains fluid.
“The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning,” Webster says. “We’ll be talking to partners about potential opportunities, and we have ideas for where we want to go next.
As an independent developer you have to stay flexible and adaptable.” The studio’s confidence, combined with its innovative design philosophy and commitment to a balanced development model, suggests that even in a crowded market there’s room for a fresh, arcade‑style Star Wars racer to carve out its own niche.