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 working on iconic franchises such as Burnout and Need for Speed after EA acquired Criterion in 2004. Yet in early 2023 he, along with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to break away and launch their own independent studio in the United Kingdom – Fuse Games.
Fast‑forward three and a half years, and Fuse is on the brink of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, published by the newly independent Secret Mode. The timing of Galactic Racer’s arrival is noteworthy. It marks the first Star Wars‑themed racing game since 2002’s Racer Revenge, a gap of 24 years during which the racing genre has generally lost steam in the mainstream market. Recent industry moves underscore this trend: Amazon withdrew from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the game “didn’t fit the market.” Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “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 and reading articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface. “As more and more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” Webster added. Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that.
The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racing while also asking, "What can we do once we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?" The answer, according to Webster, is a series of wildly imaginative tracks – one even climbs the side of an active volcano, turning the race into a roller‑coaster‑like thrill ride. Beyond the high‑octane spectacle, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
For decades, most racers have been built around a car‑collection model that has changed little for twenty‑plus years. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most significant innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button nullifies mistakes, erasing any penalty.
Fuse’s design re‑introduces risk: crashing repeatedly forces the player back to the start, though a portion of meta‑progression is retained, placing the racer in a slightly stronger position for the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop encourages players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they are on their final allowed crash.
The game’s structure draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire – games built for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven." By combining procedural elements, persistent upgrades, and a penalty system, Galactic Racer seeks to keep players coming back for fresh runs, each with a different strategic emphasis. Releasing the game on October 6 places it in a crowded calendar, sandwiched between major launches like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (September 24) and the highly anticipated GTA 6 (November 19).
Yet Webster is unfazed. He recalls past years when September felt busy, but October was historically the “murderers’ row” of releases. "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." Webster’s perspective is shaped by his long tenure in the industry and the recent wave of layoffs. He remembers a similar contraction fifteen years ago and notes a pattern: great teams create great games, and great games find an audience.
He argues that the current climate shows an aversion to risk, which paradoxically opens opportunities for studios willing to make calculated bets. "If you’re not willing to take those risks, you limit your chances," he observes. Funding, however, has not been easy. Starting an independent studio in 2023, after three decades at EA, was a leap into the unknown.
"People said, ‘you’re brave doing an independent studio now,’" Webster recalls. His guiding principles were simple: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning – while accepting that any plan will inevitably be wrong and must be iterated upon.
He stresses that engaged, motivated talent is the engine of great games, and it is the studio’s responsibility to nurture that talent. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core – roughly 75 staff – a deliberate choice to avoid the industry’s typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle. Instead, the studio leans on external development partners to fill gaps.
This hybrid model ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development, where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as especially conducive to this collaborative approach, noting that today many companies hire developers eager to work across multiple projects, keeping the workforce fresh and enthusiastic. According to Webster, this model proves that a AAA‑scale game in terms of scope, visual fidelity, and ambition can be built 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 – started in January 2023 and ready for launch just three and a half years later – serves as evidence that the approach works.
A notable aspect of Fuse’s roster is the infusion of young talent alongside seasoned veterans. Some team members, including a producer, have never previously worked in games. "The young developers we’ve brought in are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," Webster says. He believes that nurturing junior talent not only drives innovation but also creates a more dynamic workplace than relying solely on senior developers who may prefer minimal interaction.
This philosophy has already prompted Fuse to adjust its hiring strategy to prioritize fresh perspectives. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop emerging talent, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs involved. He reflects on a time when the industry was flush with capital and many successful developers received funding to launch their own studios, only to discover the challenges were greater 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 Galactic Racer, Webster admits the roadmap is still being written. The launch is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and directions. "Independent developers need to stay flexible and adaptable," he concludes, "and we’ll see where the next adventure takes us."