Matt Webster appeared destined for a lifelong career at Electronic Arts. He first joined the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004.
In early 2023, however, Webster teamed up with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant to launch an independent UK studio called Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling company 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 lost some of its mainstream appeal. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its 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 itself has shifted focus from pure racing experiences to the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster is convinced there remains a viable market. “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, and the response 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. “We went through a phase where shooters dominated, but that’s just one part of the picture. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience.” According to Webster, players are craving “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 racing while also exploring what can be done when you’re no longer limited by realistic tyres and tarmac. “We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels more like a roller‑coaster than a conventional circuit.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditionally, racing games have been built around a car‑collection model that has changed little for two decades. Webster says Fuse wants to “rip that up and steal ideas from other genres.” One of those ideas is meaningful consequence. In many modern racers, a rewind button nullifies mistakes, making crashes feel inconsequential.
Fuse reintroduces stakes: crashing too often forces the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a sense of forward momentum even after a setback. This risk‑reward loop is inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are designed for infinite replayability—a quality that dovetails naturally with racing’s repeat‑play nature.
Webster acknowledges that this approach is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases, especially in a year when blockbuster titles like GTA 6 loom on the horizon. Galactic Racer is slated for an October 6 launch, comfortably ahead of GTA 6’s November 19 release but still close to other high‑profile launches such as Control Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.
He notes that crowded pre‑holiday windows are nothing new. “People used to call September ‘murderer’s row,’ and October has always been packed,” he says, adding that Fuse maintains a “healthy confidence” tempered by realistic expectations.
The conversation turns to industry layoffs and risk aversion. Webster, who has witnessed several waves of downsizing, reflects that great teams make great games, and great games find audiences. He argues that the current climate’s aversion to risk actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets.
“If you shy away from risk, you limit your chances,” he observes. Funding, however, has been a persistent hurdle for the new studio. “People told me I was brave to start an independent studio in 2023,” Webster recalls. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a very different landscape.
He leaned on core principles: building a talented team, sharpening a creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—while recognizing that any plan will evolve. He emphasizes that engaged, motivated talent is the engine of great games, and that it’s the studio’s responsibility to nurture that energy. Fuse operates with a relatively lean core—around 75 people—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting staff as projects demand, the studio relies on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios attend stand‑ups, join Slack channels and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, self‑preserving partners to enthusiastic, cross‑team contributors. From his perspective, this model proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small permanent team is augmented by trusted allies.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete UE5 title—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. Another noteworthy aspect is Fuse’s infusion of youthful talent. While the studio includes seasoned Criterion veterans, many of its developers are newcomers, and one producer had never worked in games before.
“Our young talent is often smarter and more effective than I was at that age,” Webster says. He observes that senior developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who require minimal mentorship, but fostering and challenging younger staff can be equally motivating for everyone involved. He hopes to formalize an internship program in the future, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must be realistic about the costs of talent development. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a time when successful games generated enough cash for their creators to spin off their own studios—only to discover that running a studio is harder than expected.
He criticizes the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “fucking bullshit,” insisting that games are fundamentally collaborative endeavors. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains open‑ended about its next steps.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and while the studio has ideas for future projects, Webster stresses the need for flexibility and adaptability in today’s independent development landscape. The team’s confidence, combined with a willingness to take measured risks and a commitment to nurturing fresh talent, positions them to navigate the competitive market and potentially reshape how AAA‑quality games are built.