Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to remain 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 while they were under the Criterion banner, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together 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.
Just over three years later, the fledgling studio is poised to release its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, 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, and it does so at a moment when the racing genre has generally lost some of its mainstream steam.
Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with UK developer Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t appear to need another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from racing and is now working on the Battlefield series.
Despite these signals, Webster is convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly believe there’s a market for a Star Wars racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who think that, and the reaction we get from people watching our videos and 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 larger fan base.” Webster says modern gamers are hungry for "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 realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb up the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer deliberately subverts several long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
Traditionally, racers have relied on a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One of the biggest changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player mistakes. In many contemporary racers, a rewind button eliminates the penalty for crashing, but Galactic Racer re‑introduces risk: too many crashes send you back to the start, though you retain a slice of meta‑progression that makes you slightly stronger on the next attempt. This creates a tension between aggression and caution that Webster likens to the decision‑making found in roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability.
The decision‑making loop is central to the game’s design philosophy. When a player crashes repeatedly, they are forced to restart, but the retained progression means each run feels both fresh and familiar. "When you’re on your last crash and the system is critical, you start to feel the weight of the risk you’re taking," Webster says.
This approach is a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become common in AAA titles, and it reflects his belief that standing out in a crowded marketplace requires risk‑taking. Timing the launch is another strategic consideration. Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, a comfortable window before the highly anticipated GTA 6 drops on November 19, yet still close enough to other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. Webster acknowledges the market’s density but reminds us that historically, even September has been a busy month for big launches.
“We have a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out,” he says. “Good games will find a way.” The conversation naturally shifts to the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios in recent years. Webster, who has witnessed a similar layoff cycle about fifteen years ago, believes that great teams produce great games, and great games ultimately find an audience. He argues that the industry’s current aversion to risk actually creates opportunities for developers willing to make calculated bets.
“If you’re not willing to take those risks, you limit your own opportunities,” he notes. Funding, however, remains a challenge for independent studios. Webster recounts how, after leaving EA after 32 years, he was told by peers that launching an indie studio in 2023 was “brave” to the point of being reckless. He emphasizes a set of guiding principles learned at EA: build a strong team, refine a clear creative vision, maintain disciplined planning (while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve), and keep the team motivated.
According to Webster, an engaged and motivated crew is the engine that drives great outcomes. Fuse Games operates with a relatively small core team—about 75 people—for a project that aspires to AAA‑level scope, fidelity and ambition. This lean structure is intentional. Rather than expanding and contracting staff in the classic “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle, Fuse relies heavily on external development partners to fill gaps.
Webster describes this as a hybrid model that blends pure outsourcing (transactional asset creation) with true co‑development, where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels and contribute directly to the codebase. He points out that the United Kingdom is especially well‑suited for this approach due to its mature game‑development ecosystem and a culture of collaborative studios that are eager to work across multiple projects.
Webster believes this model can deliver AAA‑quality experiences on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete product built on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of the team had previously mastered—serves as proof of concept. "We started Fuse in January 2023, and in a short span we built a studio, a team, and a game that meets AAA standards," he says. "We did it in a healthy, sustainable way." Another notable aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on nurturing young talent.
While the studio includes veteran Criterion alumni, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry, and one producer had never worked on a game before joining. Webster praises the energy and efficiency of this younger cohort, noting that they often outperform older, more experienced hires. He argues that senior developers sometimes prefer working with peers who need minimal guidance, which can stifle growth. In contrast, mentoring younger staff creates a reciprocal motivation that benefits both parties.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he acknowledges that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs involved. He reflects on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital and many successful developers were handed funding to start their own studios—only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated.
He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are always the product of collaborative effort, not the vision of a solitary auteur. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being mapped out. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and directions.
He emphasizes flexibility and adaptability as essential traits for independent developers in today’s ever‑shifting market. In summary, Matt Webster’s conviction that a Star Wars racing game can thrive rests on three pillars: a belief in the cyclical nature of genres and the growing size of niche audiences, a willingness to break traditional racing mechanics in favor of roguelike‑inspired risk and replayability, and a sustainable development model that blends a small, passionate core team with trusted external partners.
With Galactic Racer slated for an October release, Fuse Games aims to prove that bold ideas, collaborative spirit and a focus on nurturing talent can carve out space for fresh experiences even in a crowded, risk‑averse industry.