Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at EA in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises after Criterion, the studio behind those games, was 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 preparing 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 time when the racing genre has generally lost some of its mainstream shine. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market didn’t appear to have room for it.
Meanwhile, Criterion itself has shifted focus away from pure racing and is now more closely associated with the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“We clearly believe there’s a market for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the reaction we get from people watching our videos and reading our 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 re‑emerge.
“As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a larger audience,” he added. Webster argues that modern players crave "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 of classic arcade racing while also exploring what becomes possible when you’re no longer constrained by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to upend long‑standing racing conventions. Traditionally, racing titles have relied on a car‑collection model that has changed little in two decades.
Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the emphasis on consequential decision‑making, especially around crashing. In many modern racers a rewind button eliminates penalty, but Galactic Racer re‑introduces real stakes: crash too often, and you’re sent back to the start, though you retain some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position the next run. This risk‑reward loop, he says, forces players to weigh their actions more carefully.
The design philosophy draws heavily 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 structures feels like a match made in heaven." The result is a game that encourages repeated runs, each with subtle variations, while still delivering the visceral joy of high‑speed competition. Launching the game on October 6 places it a month before the highly anticipated GTA 6, which is slated for November 19, yet after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24. Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but reminds us that the industry has always faced busy windows.
"People used to call September ‘murderers’ row,’" he says, "and October has always been packed too. We just have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out." When asked about the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector, Webster reflects on his long tenure.
He recalls a similar round of cuts fifteen years ago and notes a recurring truth: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. He sees the current risk‑averse climate as both a challenge and an opportunity. Studios willing to take calculated bets can stand out, while those that cling to safety may miss the next big wave.
Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Webster admits that many questioned his decision to leave a secure EA position after 32 years. "People said, ‘you’re brave doing an indie studio now,’" he recalls.
His answer was to lean on core principles: assemble a talented team, sharpen a creative vision, craft a disciplined plan—while knowing the plan will evolve—and stay true to those values. Engaged, motivated talent, he believes, is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of around 75 people, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles common in larger studios. Instead, they supplement the core with external partners, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development arrangements where external studios sit in on stand‑ups, Slack channels and even share the code base.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their staff fresh and enthusiastic. The result, according to Webster, is a sustainable model for AAA‑scale games: a small permanent team plus trusted partners who share the studio’s values. This approach allowed Fuse to build Galactic Racer in just three and a half years—from the studio’s founding in January 2023 to a near‑complete product built on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of the team had previously mastered. "It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way," he says.
A noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its emphasis on youthful talent. Alongside the Criterion veterans, the studio has recruited many younger developers, even hiring a producer with no prior game‑industry experience.
"The young talent we have is smarter and more effective in many ways than I was at that age," Webster asserts. He observes that seasoned developers often prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but nurturing fresh talent can be equally motivating for both parties. The studio hopes to formalise an intern program in the future, though they remain pre‑revenue and cautious about the costs involved.
Looking back to a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how many successful teams received funding to spin off their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than expected. He argues that money should be directed toward strong teams rather than idolising a single “creative visionary,” a notion he calls “fucking bullshit.” Games, he insists, are collaborative creations.
As for what lies ahead for Fuse Games, the answer is still forming. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities while staying adaptable. In Webster’s words, "We have ideas about where we want to go next, but as an independent developer you have to be flexible and ready to pivot when the market shifts."