Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure at the publisher in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises while they were under the umbrella of Criterion, the studio 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 founded the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Just over three years later the fledgling studio is on the brink of delivering its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which will be published by the newly independent label Secret Mode. Galactic Racer arrives roughly twenty‑four years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s Racer Revenge, and it does so at a moment when the racing genre has largely slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the project didn’t fit the current market.
Meanwhile Criterion itself has shifted focus away from pure racing, devoting its resources to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists. “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 way, and the response we get from people watching our videos or reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. “Shooters dominated for a while, but that’s not the only genre that can capture players’ attention. As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable following.” 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 asking, “What can we do once we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other over‑the‑top environments that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Beyond the arcade thrills, the game aims to upend long‑standing conventions in the racing genre. Traditionally, racing games revolve around a car‑collection model that has changed little for two decades.
"Let’s rip that up and steal ideas from other genres," Webster says. One of those ideas is the notion of meaningful consequence.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for crashing, diluting tension. Galactic Racer re‑introduces risk: each crash pushes the player closer to a reset, but some meta‑progression carries over, rewarding careful play and strategic risk‑taking. The design draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability.
"Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven." When a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start of the run, yet they retain certain upgrades, making each subsequent attempt slightly stronger. The final crash, however, feels weighty; the player must weigh the risk of pushing the limits against the possibility of losing progress.
This approach represents a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become commonplace in AAA releases. The timing of the launch also reflects strategic thinking. Galactic Racer is slated for October 6, a comfortable gap before the highly anticipated GTA 6 release on November 19, yet it lands just after other major titles like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, which debuted on September 24. Webster acknowledges the crowded pre‑holiday window, recalling past years when September was dubbed “murderers’ row.” He maintains that a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by a realistic outlook is essential.
“Good games will find a way,” he says, echoing an industry maxim. The conversation naturally turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector. Webster, who has witnessed a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago, observes that strong teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences.
He warns that the industry’s current aversion to risk can stifle innovation, yet it also creates opportunities for studios willing to make calculated bets. Securing funding for an independent studio in 2023, he admits, was “a real challenge.” After 32 years at EA, he had to relearn how to build a team from scratch, focusing on core principles: assemble talented people, refine a clear creative vision, craft a disciplined yet adaptable plan, and stay true to the studio’s values.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 staff members—by design. Rather than inflating and deflating the workforce as projects evolve, the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill skill gaps.
This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external teams attend daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as especially conducive to such collaboration, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping talent fresh and motivated.
According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core is augmented by trusted external contributors who share the same values. The speed of Galactic Racer’s development underscores the model’s effectiveness: Fuse launched in January 2023, and three and a half years later the team had built a studio, assembled a team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and produced a full‑fledged AAA‑quality title. The studio’s roster blends veteran Criterion staff with a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked in games before. “We are thrilled with the young talent we’ve got,” Webster says.
He believes many of these newcomers are “smarter and more effective” than he was at their age, and that nurturing them has yielded better results than relying solely on senior hires. While seasoned developers may prefer to work alongside peers who need minimal guidance, Webster argues that fostering growth in junior staff creates a more dynamic and motivated environment.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to continue attracting fresh talent, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model, emphasizing that developing talent requires both financial investment and a clear vision.
Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful game teams to spin off their own studios—often with mixed results. He contends that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than “superstar” individuals, dismissing the notion of a singular creative visionary as “fucking bullshit.” In his view, games are inherently collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains open‑ended.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio is already contemplating new opportunities. Webster stresses that independent developers must stay flexible and adaptable, ready to pivot as market conditions evolve. The combination of a focused core team, external co‑development, and a willingness to experiment with genre conventions positions Fuse Games to navigate the ever‑changing landscape of the video‑game industry.