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 contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through 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 Fuse Games, an independent studio based in the United Kingdom. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to launch its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, which will be published by the newly autonomous label Secret Mode. *Galactic Racer* arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*.
In the intervening years the racing genre has lost some of its mainstream appeal. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t have a fit for that kind of game.
Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has shifted its focus to the *Battlefield* franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“Our community of fans, the people who watch our videos and read our posts, they’re telling us they’re excited. We’re not the only ones who think this genre still has life.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably re‑emerge. As the overall player base expands, even the most niche interests can find a larger crowd.
He believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that fresh perspective. The team’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer limited by real‑world tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is to push the action onto wildly imaginative tracks – for example, courses that climb the side of an active volcano, turning each race into a roller‑coaster‑like spectacle.
Beyond the high‑octane thrills, *Galactic Racer* aims to upend several long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Traditionally, racing games revolve around collecting cars, a formula that has persisted for roughly two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One such mechanic is meaningful consequence. In many modern racers a “rewind” button eliminates the penalty for crashing, but Webster argues that re‑introducing risk makes each decision feel weightier. He cites roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire* as inspirations, noting that these games are built around infinite replayability – a quality that dovetails perfectly with the repeat‑play nature of racing. In practice, this means that crashing too often will send a player back to the start of a run.
However, the game retains a meta‑progression system, allowing players to carry forward certain upgrades or abilities, so each subsequent attempt begins from a slightly stronger position. The looming threat of a final crash forces players to weigh risk versus reward, adding a strategic layer rarely seen in mainstream racing titles. Webster acknowledges that this approach is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases, but he also sees it as essential for standing out in an increasingly crowded market, especially in a year when heavyweight titles such as *GTA 6* are slated for release.
*Galactic Racer* is set to launch on October 6, comfortably ahead of *GTA 6*’s November 19 release, yet still close to other major September launches like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall*. He notes that busy launch windows are nothing new. “People used to call October ‘murderers’ row’ because it was packed with big releases,” Webster recalled.
“We’re aware the market is competitive, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” The conversation then turned to the broader industry climate, particularly the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios in recent months. Webster, who has witnessed multiple cycles of downsizing, believes that great teams create great games, and great games find their audiences. He warns that a pervasive aversion to risk is limiting opportunities, and that developers willing to take calculated bets can thrive. Starting an independent studio in 2023, however, has not been without challenges.
Securing funding proved difficult; many investors questioned the wisdom of launching a new studio in a volatile environment. Webster reflects on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing it as a “bubble” that left him unprepared for the realities of independent development. He emphasizes a set of core principles: building a strong, motivated team; refining a clear creative vision; maintaining disciplined planning while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve; and staying true to the studio’s values.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team—about 75 people—for a project of AAA scope. This size is intentional. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in response to project phases, Fuse relies heavily on external partners to fill gaps. The studio employs a hybrid model that blends transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) with true co‑development, where external studios participate in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share codebases.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s external studios are eager to work on diverse projects rather than merely keeping the lights on. According to Webster, this model demonstrates that a AAA‑level game—both in terms of visual fidelity and overall scope—can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team is supplemented by trusted partners who share the same values. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* showcases this efficiency: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the team had built a studio, assembled talent, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a polished product. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger developers alongside seasoned veterans.
Some team members, including a producer, had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster praises this fresh talent, stating that many of the younger staff are “smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age.” He observes that senior developers often prefer working with peers who require minimal mentorship, but nurturing younger talent creates a more engaging and motivated environment for everyone. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be cautious about the costs associated with talent development. He reflects on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital and many successful developers received funding to start their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated.
He criticizes the lingering industry fixation on the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit” and emphasizing that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s future beyond *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, Webster says the studio remains flexible. The launch of the game is just the beginning, and while they have ideas for subsequent projects, they understand that independent developers must stay adaptable to shifting market conditions.
In summary, Webster’s confidence rests on three pillars: a belief in an underserved niche, a sustainable development model that blends a compact core team with strategic external partnerships, and a commitment to empowering the next generation of game‑making talent.