Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to 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 launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Fast‑forward three and a half years, and Fuse is on the brink of releasing 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 slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently abandoned a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market simply didn’t seem to fit the project. Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing, devoting its resources to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a viable audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
“Clearly we think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones who feel that, and the response we get from people watching our videos or reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. While shooters dominated the market for a while, other types of games inevitably resurface as player tastes evolve. “As more and more people play video games, even the tiniest of niches find a bigger audience,” Webster added.
According to Webster, modern gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he believes 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 a game is no longer bound by the physics of real‑world tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explained. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
For two decades, most racing games have been built around a car‑collection model: earn or purchase new vehicles, then race them. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many contemporary racers, a rewind button erases the impact of mistakes, reducing tension. Fuse’s approach re‑introduces risk: crashing too often sends the player back to the start of a run, though a portion of meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a slightly stronger position.
This creates a palpable sense of danger, especially when a player is on their final allowable crash and must weigh risk versus reward. The game’s structure also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games designed for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster argued, "so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven." The result is a loop where each run feels fresh, yet the player’s accumulated knowledge and incremental upgrades give a sense of long‑term progression. Webster acknowledges that this design philosophy represents a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become common in AAA releases.
Yet he believes it is necessary to stand out in an increasingly crowded market, especially in a year that will see heavyweight launches like GTA 6. Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, comfortably before GTA 6’s November 19 debut but after other major titles such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, which both dropped on September 24.
While some industry observers warned that September is a busy window, Webster recalled that even October has historically been packed with releases—a phenomenon he refers to as “murderer’s row.” He stresses that Fuse approaches the competition with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations. The conversation inevitably turned to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Having spent over three decades in the business, Webster remembers a similar bout of cuts fifteen years ago.
He observes that great teams produce great games, and great games find audiences, regardless of market turbulence. "What we’re seeing now is a lot of aversion to risk," he said. "That creates opportunity for those willing to take calculated bets and push forward.
If you’re overly cautious, you limit your own chances." Launching a new studio in 2023 has not been without challenges. Securing funding proved difficult; many questioned the wisdom of starting an independent studio in a volatile environment. Webster reflected on his 32‑year tenure at EA, describing the transition as stepping out of a bubble.
He emphasized core principles: building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while recognizing that any plan is provisional and must be iterated upon. Engaged, motivated talent, he believes, is the engine that drives exceptional outcomes. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core team of roughly 75 people—small by AAA standards. This intentional size helps avoid the industry’s notorious “grow‑shrink‑grow‑shrink” cycle.
Instead, Fuse leverages external development partners to fill capability gaps. The studio distinguishes between transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) and true co‑development, where external studios sit in on daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even share codebases. The United Kingdom, with its mature development ecosystem, provides an ideal environment for such collaborations.
In the past, external studios were often reluctant partners, but today many companies actively seek diverse projects to keep their workforce energized and versatile. Webster is convinced that this hybrid model—small permanent core plus trusted external collaborators—offers a sustainable path to AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity without inflating budgets.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer validates the approach: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and three and a half years later the team had built a studio, assembled a team, and delivered a game on Unreal Engine 5—a technology none of them had previously mastered. Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s journey is its commitment to nurturing young talent. Alongside the Criterion veterans, the studio has hired many newcomers, including a producer who had never worked in games before.
Webster praised this fresh perspective, noting that younger developers often bring smarter, more effective solutions than he could have imagined at their age. He observed that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, which can stifle growth. By deliberately pivoting hiring strategies toward younger talent, Fuse has discovered a dynamic and motivated workforce.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further develop emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and financially cautious. He cites Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model, while acknowledging the costs associated with talent development. Reflecting on the era a few years ago when abundant funding allowed many successful games to spawn spin‑off studios, he lamented that money often went to “superstar” developers rather than strong, cohesive teams.
He dismissed the myth of the solitary creative visionary as “fucking bullshit,” insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. As for Fuse’s future beyond Galactic Racer, Webster remains open‑minded.
The launch is just the beginning, and the studio is already contemplating potential opportunities and new directions. However, he stresses that independent developers must stay flexible and adaptable in an ever‑changing industry landscape. "We have ideas about where we want to go next," he said, "but we’ll have to respond to the market and our own resources as they evolve."