Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his journey with the company in 1990 and later spent nearly twenty years at Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which 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. Fast‑forward three and a half years, and the fledgling studio is poised to release its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The timing of Galactic Racer’s launch is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, Racer Revenge, hit shelves in 2002 – a full twenty‑four years ago. Since then, the racing genre has generally slipped out of the mainstream spotlight.
Recent industry news underscores this trend: Amazon walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has pivoted to focus on the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a market exists 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 reaction we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that entertainment genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably resurface as player tastes evolve. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” Webster added. Webster believes gamers are hungry for fresh, compelling experiences they haven’t encountered before, and he sees Galactic Racer as delivering exactly that. The team’s vision was to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racing while also exploring what becomes possible when you’re no longer bound by the physics of tires and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explained. “It feels like a roller‑coaster at times.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions. Traditionally, racing titles revolve around collecting cars—a formula that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One of the most radical departures is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button nullifies any penalty, eroding tension. Fuse Games re‑introduces risk by making crashes affect progression.
If a player crashes too often, they are sent back to the start, though they retain a slice of meta‑progression that puts them in a stronger position for the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh aggression against caution, especially when they’re down to their final “life” in a run. The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal, and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability and procedural variety.
“Racing thrives on replayability,” Webster noted, “so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven.” Each run in Galactic Racer is intended to feel distinct, with varying track conditions, power‑ups, and strategic choices that keep the experience fresh long after the initial launch. Launching a new IP in a crowded calendar is a gamble, especially with heavyweight releases like GTA 6 slated for November 19.
Galactic Racer is set to debut on October 6, giving it a modest buffer before the blockbuster arrives, yet still landing amidst a busy September‑October window that includes titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall. Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but remains confident. “Someone once said September looks busy, but I remember the old ‘murderer’s row’ in October.
The market is always busy; we just need a healthy sense of confidence tempered by realism.” The conversation inevitably turned to the industry’s recent wave of layoffs. Having weathered previous downturns, Webster sees a pattern: great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that a pervasive aversion to risk is limiting innovation. “When studios shy away from calculated risks, they miss opportunities.
Those willing to take the bets can carve out space for themselves.” Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been far from easy. Webster recalls the skepticism he faced when announcing Fuse Games: “People were like, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio now.’ I’d spent 32 years at EA in a bubble; this was uncharted territory.” His guiding principles remained the same—assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning, even if the plan evolves. He emphasizes that an engaged, motivated crew is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 staff members—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting the internal team in response to project demands, the studio leans on external partners for supplemental work. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships 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 varied projects, keeping their talent fresh and enthusiastic.
Webster believes this approach could become a template for future AAA development: a small, permanent core team complemented by trusted, value‑aligned partners that can scale capacity as needed. He argues that this structure enables a studio to deliver AAA‑level scope, scale, and visual fidelity on a more sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer underscores the viability of this model.
Fuse Games launched in January 2023; just three and a half years later they have built a studio, assembled a team, and created a game in Unreal Engine 5—a technology none of them had mastered at the outset. Webster calls this achievement “healthy and sustainable.” Another noteworthy aspect is the infusion of young talent.
While the studio includes veterans from Criterion, many of its developers are newcomers, with at least one producer who had never previously worked in games. Webster is impressed by their performance, stating, “They are smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age.” He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need minimal guidance, whereas nurturing younger staff can energize the entire team. This insight has prompted Fuse to adjust its hiring strategy to prioritize fresh perspectives.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to establish a formal internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and financially cautious. He reflects on a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful teams to spin off their own studios, only to discover that building a sustainable operation is far more challenging than anticipated. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the “single creative visionary” myth, calling it “bullshit.” In his view, great games are the product of collaborative effort, not solitary genius.
As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster says the future is intentionally flexible. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and while the studio has ideas for subsequent projects, independent developers must remain adaptable to shifting market conditions.
The team’s confidence, combined with a realistic outlook and a willingness to experiment, positions them to navigate the ever‑changing landscape of modern game development.