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 contributing to the legendary Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, along 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. Just three and a half years later the fledgling studio is poised to release 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 racing game, 2002’s Racer Revenge, and it does so at a time when the racing genre has generally receded from the spotlight. Recent industry news underscores that shift: Amazon walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis noting that the market simply didn’t have a clear fit for the project. Meanwhile, Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure racing and now focuses on the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a viable audience for a Star Wars‑themed racer.
“Clearly we think there’s an audience for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We don’t think we’re the only ones. From the comments we see on our videos and articles, it looks like we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming trends are cyclical.
“Genres rise and fall. We went through a phase where shooters dominated, but that’s not the whole story. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience.” Webster believes players are hungry for "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’s possible when you’re no longer bound by the physics of tyres and tarmac. "We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano," he says, describing courses that feel like roller‑coasters, with loops, jumps and gravity‑defying sections that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. For two decades the standard formula has been a car‑collection system, where players unlock vehicles over time.
Webster wants to rip that model apart and borrow ideas from other genres. The game incorporates meaningful consequences for player actions, especially crashes. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases any penalty, but Fuse wants crashes to matter.
"If you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start," he explains, "but you retain some meta‑progression, so you begin from a slightly stronger position. Yet each crash forces you to weigh risk versus reward, especially when you’re on your last life." That risk‑reward loop draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability and procedural challenge. "Racing thrives on replayability, so marrying it with roguelike mechanics feels like a match made in heaven," Webster notes.
The result is a title that encourages players to experiment, learn from failure, and keep coming back for fresh runs. Launching the game on October 6 positions it between a crowded September slate (including Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall) and the blockbuster release of GTA 6 slated for November 19. While some industry observers warned that September was already busy, Webster recalls earlier eras when October was the true "murderers’ row" of releases. He acknowledges the competition but says Fuse Games maintains a "healthy sense of confidence" tempered by realistic expectations.
"Good games find a way," he says, echoing a mantra that has guided him through industry upheavals. Webster reflects on the wave of layoffs sweeping the sector, noting that history repeats itself: great teams create great games, and great games attract audiences.
He sees the current risk‑averse climate as an opening for studios willing to take calculated bets. "When you shy away from risk, you limit opportunity," he argues. Yet he also admits that securing funding for an independent studio in 2023 was a major hurdle. After three decades at EA, he found himself in a new reality where investors questioned the viability of a small, self‑funded team.
To navigate those challenges, Webster leaned on a set of core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will evolve. He stresses that a motivated, engaged team is the engine of innovation.
Fuse Games operates with roughly 75 core staff, a deliberate decision to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles common in larger studios. Instead, they supplement their capabilities with external partners, ranging from transactional asset outsourcing to deep co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even the codebase. The UK, with its mature development ecosystem, proves especially conducive to this hybrid model.
In the past, external studios might have been reluctant collaborators, but today many firms actively seek varied projects to keep their talent fresh and motivated. "You can deliver a AAA‑scale game with a sustainable budget by keeping a small permanent core and scaling with trusted partners," Webster asserts, noting that the rapid three‑and‑a‑half‑year development cycle of Galactic Racer validates this approach. Another surprising element of Fuse’s journey is the prominence of younger developers.
One of the game’s producers had never worked in games before joining the project. Webster praises the fresh perspective they bring, claiming that, in many cases, the younger talent has been more effective than senior hires. He observes that seasoned veterans often prefer working alongside equally experienced colleagues, which can stifle mentorship opportunities. By deliberately nurturing junior staff, Fuse hopes to build a pipeline of talent that will sustain future projects.
Looking ahead, Webster envisions an internship program to formalise that talent pipeline, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue and must first prove its financial footing. He draws on Criterion’s successful intern initiatives as a model, while warning that developing talent incurs real costs and requires clear-eyed planning. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with capital, Webster recalls how many developers who rode the wave of a hit title received funding to start their own studios—only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated. He criticises the industry’s lingering fascination with the myth of the "lone creative visionary," calling it "bullshit" and emphasizing that games are collaborative creations.
As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster says the future is still being written. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas. Flexibility and adaptability, he concludes, are essential for any independent developer navigating today’s unpredictable market.