Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster joined forces with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Just over three years later the fledgling studio is poised to ship its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher 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 Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating, “we didn’t see a real fit in the market for that game.” Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster is confident there remains a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see demand for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
“Our community feedback – video views, article comments – suggests we’re not the only ones who think so.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably return to favor as the player base widens. “The more people who play video games, the larger even the tiniest niche becomes,” Webster added.
According to Webster, gamers today are hungry for “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What can we do when we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, he says, includes tracks that climb the side of an active volcano and courses that feel more like roller‑coasters than traditional circuits. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. Most racers have relied on a static car‑collection model for the past two decades.
Webster wants to “rip that up and steal from other genres.” One of the key innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates penalty, but Fuse wants to re‑inject risk. “If you crash too often you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that makes you a bit stronger,” he explains. “When you’re on your last allowed crash, you feel the tension and have to weigh the risk of pushing harder.” The design philosophy draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability.
“Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven,” Webster says. This approach encourages players to experiment, learn from each failure, and return with a slightly better position, creating a loop that rewards skill and strategic decision‑making. Launching the game on 6 October places it a respectable distance from Rockstar’s highly anticipated GTA 6, slated for 19 November, yet still within a crowded autumn window that includes releases like Control Resonant and Silent Hill: Townfall on 24 September. Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but notes that historically, October has always been busy.
“People used to call it ‘Murderer’s Row,’ and it was packed with releases,” he recalls. “We have a healthy confidence, tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out.” When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure. He remembers a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago and observes that great teams produce great games, which in turn find audiences.
“There’s a pervasive aversion to risk right now,” he says. “That creates opportunities for those willing to take calculated bets.
If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances.” Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. “People told me I was brave for starting a studio now,” Webster admits. After 32 years at EA, he found himself in a bubble and had to relearn how to build a company from the ground up.
His guiding principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will inevitably evolve. “Engaged, motivated talent creates great things; it’s our job to keep them inspired,” he emphasizes. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles common in larger studios.
Instead of expanding and contracting the internal team, Fuse leverages external partners for additional capacity. “We’re proving a model where a small permanent core works with trusted external studios that share our values,” Webster explains. This external collaboration ranges from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development, where partner studios attend daily stand‑ups, participate in Slack channels, and contribute directly to the code base. The United Kingdom, with its mature development ecosystem, provides an ideal environment for such co‑development.
In the past, studios were reluctant to collaborate, preferring to protect their own IP. Today, many companies hire developers who enjoy moving between projects and teams, keeping the talent pool fresh and enthusiastic.
Webster believes this shift enables a sustainable AAA‑scale production on a more manageable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer showcases the viability of this approach. Fuse was founded in January 2023; three and a half years later the studio has built a functional team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and delivered a full‑featured game—all while maintaining a healthy, sustainable workflow.
Another notable aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on youthful talent. Alongside the Criterion veterans, the studio has recruited many younger developers, including a producer with no prior gaming experience. “Our young staff are often smarter and more effective than we were at that age,” Webster says. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, which can stifle mentorship.
By actively nurturing junior talent, Fuse has discovered a productivity boost and a more vibrant studio culture. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to establish an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue. He cites Criterion’s successful intern pipelines as a model and acknowledges the costs associated with developing newcomers.
Reflecting on the industry’s previous era of abundant funding, Webster notes that many creators were given capital to start their own studios after a hit game, only to discover how challenging independent development truly is. He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the “single creative visionary” myth, calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are the product of collaborative effort, not solitary genius.
As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being shaped. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas.
“Independent developers need to stay flexible and adaptable,” he concludes, emphasizing that the journey is ongoing and the studio will continue to evolve in response to the market and its own ambitions.