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 developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster and a handful of former Criterion colleagues—Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant—decided to strike out on their own, founding the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just three and a half years later the fledgling company is poised to release its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode. The timing of the launch is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002, and the genre has generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight over the past two decades.
Recent industry moves illustrate the trend: Amazon withdrew from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t have room for another driving game. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing projects to focus on the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a market exists for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He argues that genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface as player tastes evolve. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience,” he added.
Webster believes gamers are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers on that promise. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what’s possible when a game is no longer bound by the physics of tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explained.
“Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, *Galactic Racer* aims to upend several long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Traditionally, racing games revolve around car collection—a formula that has changed little in the past twenty years. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty for mistakes, 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 said. “When you’re on your last crash and the system is critical, you actually feel the tension of the risk you’re taking.” The game’s design is heavily inspired by roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*.
Those games are built for infinite replayability, a quality that meshes naturally with racing, which thrives on repeated runs and mastery. By blending roguelike progression with high‑speed competition, Fuse hopes to create a “match made in heaven.” Releasing the game on October 6 places it between two major industry events: Rockstar’s *GTA 6* is slated for November 19, while September saw the releases of *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall*. Some observers warned that September and October would be crowded windows, but Webster points out that the industry has weathered even busier calendars before. “People used to call October ‘Murderer’s Row,’ and it was still a successful month,” he recalled.
“We have a healthy confidence, tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector, Webster reflected on his long tenure. He remembers a previous round of cuts about fifteen years ago and notes a pattern: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. He warns that the current climate is marked by an aversion to risk, which paradoxically creates opportunities for studios willing to gamble on unconventional ideas. “If you’re not willing to take calculated risks, you limit yourself,” he said.
Funding, however, has not been easy for Fuse. Starting an independent studio in 2023, after three decades at EA, felt like stepping into the unknown. “People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio now,’” Webster laughed.
“But the principles I learned at EA still apply: build a great team, refine a creative vision, stay disciplined, and adapt when the plan changes.” He emphasizes that a motivated, engaged team is the engine of success. Fuse operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 people—by design. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in waves, the studio relies on external partners to fill gaps.
This hybrid model blends outsourcing (transactional asset creation) with co‑development, where external studios become extensions of the internal team, attending stand‑ups, joining Slack channels, and contributing directly to the code base. Webster believes the UK’s mature game development ecosystem makes it an ideal hub for such collaboration.
“Companies now hire people who want to work on varied projects with different teams, keeping the work fresh and exciting,” he explained. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be produced on a sustainable budget when a small permanent team partners with trusted external studios that share the same values. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a launch‑ready product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates the model’s viability.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s staffing is the infusion of younger talent alongside the Criterion veterans. Some producers on the project had never worked in games before. “The young developers are often smarter and more effective than I was at that age,” Webster said.
“We’ve had greater success with them than with some senior hires.” He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer working with peers who need little guidance, but that mindset can stifle growth. By nurturing junior staff, Fuse creates a more dynamic and motivated environment.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s historic intern initiatives as a model and acknowledges the cost of developing talent, but believes the long‑term payoff outweighs the short‑term expense. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period when successful games attracted abundant funding, prompting many creators to launch their own studios—often with unrealistic expectations. He argues that money should be directed toward strong teams rather than idolizing a single “creative visionary,” a notion he calls “bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative endeavors.
As for Fuse’s future beyond *Galactic Racer*, Webster admits the roadmap is still forming. The launch is just the first step, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas.
“Independent developers need to stay flexible and adaptable,” he concluded, “and we’ll see where the next chapter takes us."