Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the legendary Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the Criterion umbrella, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch an independent studio in the United Kingdom called Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to ship its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode. The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002, meaning there has been a 24‑year gap between entries. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has generally lost some of its mainstream appeal.
Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t seem to need another racer. Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has shifted its focus to the *Battlefield* franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racer,” he told *GamesIndustry.biz*. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the reaction we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that gaming trends are cyclical: “We went through a period where shooters dominated, but that’s not the only genre that can capture players’ attention. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niche can grow into a sizable market.” Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that.
The studio set out to capture the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when developers are no longer constrained by realistic 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, racers revolve around a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to “rip that up and steal ideas from other genres.” To that end, the game incorporates consequential decision‑making, especially around crashes.
In many modern racers a rewind button eliminates penalty, but Fuse re‑introduces risk: “If you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, though you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position. When you’re on your last allowed crash, the tension spikes and you have to weigh the risk of pushing harder.” The design philosophy draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*—games built for infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability, so blending it with roguelike mechanics feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster says. This approach creates a loop where each run feels fresh, yet the player’s accumulated upgrades give a sense of forward momentum even after a setback.
Launching in a crowded calendar, *Galactic Racer* is set for release on October 6, comfortably ahead of the highly anticipated *GTA 6* slated for November 19, but close to other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24. Webster acknowledges the competition: “September always looks busy, but October has historically been a ‘murderers’ row’ for games.” He stresses that Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations. “Good games find a way,” he notes, echoing an industry maxim that has guided him through multiple waves of layoffs. Speaking on the broader industry climate, Webster observes a growing aversion to risk, which he believes opens doors for studios willing to take calculated bets.
“When you shy away from risk, you limit opportunity. Those willing to push boundaries can capture the audience looking for something different.” Yet he concedes that securing funding for an independent studio in 2023 has been “a real challenge.” After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a new landscape where investors question the viability of a small, independent team. Fuse’s solution has been to keep the core team deliberately small—about 75 people—while leveraging external partners for additional capacity. Rather than the traditional “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle, Fuse adopts a model where trusted external studios act as extensions of the team, participating in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even sharing codebases.
This hybrid of outsourcing (transactional asset creation) and co‑development (deep integration) allows Fuse to maintain a stable, sustainable budget while still delivering AAA‑level scope, scale, and visual fidelity using Unreal Engine 5. Webster highlights the UK’s mature game development ecosystem as a key advantage for this co‑development strategy.
“In the past, studios were reluctant to collaborate, protecting their own IP. Now there’s a vibrant community of companies eager to work on diverse projects, keeping talent fresh and motivated.” He believes this model could become a blueprint for future AAA productions: a lean permanent core supplemented by flexible, value‑aligned partners. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑finished product—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach.
“We started Fuse in January 2023, learned a new engine, built a team, and delivered a game we’re proud of, all in a sustainable way,” Webster says. Another notable aspect of Fuse’s culture is its emphasis on nurturing young talent. The studio has hired many developers early in their careers, including a producer with no prior game‑development experience.
“Our younger team members are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age,” Webster remarks. He observes that seasoned veterans sometimes prefer to work alongside peers of similar seniority, which can limit mentorship opportunities.
By deliberately recruiting and empowering junior staff, Fuse has found a fresh source of creativity and energy. Webster envisions formalizing this commitment through an internship program, though he cautions that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality.
He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model they hope to emulate, acknowledging that developing talent comes with costs that must be accounted for. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster notes that many developers who received funding to start their own studios discovered how “harder than they think” it actually was. He criticizes the industry’s fixation on the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, great games emerge from collaborative teams, not lone geniuses. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains flexible.
While the launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is the immediate focus, the studio is open to exploring new opportunities and ideas. “For an independent developer these days, you have to be adaptable,” Webster concludes. "We have a vision, we have a model that works, and we’re excited to see where the next chapter takes us."