Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began at EA in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, chose to leave the corporate giant and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
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‑themed racing game, 2002’s Racer Revenge, and it does so at a moment when traditional racing games have lost some of their mainstream shine. 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 itself has shifted focus away from racing toward the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience. “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 way, and the reaction to our videos and 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 resurface.
“As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” Webster said. He believes players are craving “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that fresh take.
Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, “what’s possible when you’re not bound by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes and roller‑coaster‑like courses that defy conventional physics. Beyond those high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to upend long‑standing racing conventions. For two decades, most racing titles have built their progression around car collection.
“Let’s rip that up and steal from other genres,” Webster declared. One of the most radical departures is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates risk, but Galactic Racer reinstates stakes: repeated crashes send the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, positioning the racer in a stronger spot for the next attempt. This risk‑reward loop forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their final allowed crash and the system is in a critical state.
The game’s structure draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games designed for infinite replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability,” Webster noted, “so marrying it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven.” By blending arcade speed with procedural challenge, Fuse hopes to keep players returning for fresh runs, each with new obstacles and strategic decisions. Releasing the game on October 6 places it between several heavyweight launches. Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for November 19, while September saw releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall.
Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but reminds us that the industry has weathered even busier periods. “People used to call October ‘murderer’s row,’ and it was always packed,” he recalled. “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 sector, Webster reflected on his long tenure. He remembers a similar contraction fifteen years ago and observes a pattern: great teams create great games, and great games find audiences.
He argues that today’s risk‑averse climate actually opens doors for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you avoid risk, you limit opportunity,” he said. Funding an independent studio in 2023, however, has not been easy.
“People told me I was brave for starting an indie studio now,” Webster laughed. After 32 years at EA, he had to relearn how to build a team from scratch, focusing on hiring engaged talent, refining a clear creative vision, and staying adaptable. Fuse now operates with roughly 75 core staff—a deliberate choice to avoid the industry’s typical grow‑shrink‑grow cycle.
Instead, the studio leans on external partners for additional capacity, ranging from transactional outsourcing to full co‑development where outside studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even the codebase. The UK’s mature development ecosystem makes it an ideal hub for such collaboration. In the past, external studios often helped out of necessity, but today many firms actively seek varied projects to keep their teams motivated and fresh. Webster believes this hybrid model—small permanent core plus trusted partners—offers a sustainable path to AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity without the runaway budgets that once defined big‑studio production.
The speed of Galactic Racer’s creation underscores the model’s viability. Fuse launched in January 2023; three and a half years later they have built a studio, assembled a team, and delivered a UE5‑powered game despite none of them initially knowing the engine. “It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way,” Webster said.
Another notable aspect is the infusion of youthful talent. While several Criterion veterans are present, many of the developers are newcomers, and one producer had never worked in games before joining the project. “Our young talent is often smarter and more effective than we were at that age,” Webster remarked. He observed that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who need little guidance, but nurturing younger staff can be equally motivating for both parties.
The studio hopes to formalize an internship program in the future, though they remain pre‑revenue and aware of the costs involved. Looking back to a time when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how successful studios were handed funding to spin off new ventures—often with mixed results. He argues that money should have been allocated to strong teams rather than idolized “single creative visionaries,” a notion he calls “fucking bullshit.” In his view, games are always collaborative efforts.
As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains open. The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and the studio is already brainstorming potential follow‑ups. “Independent developers need to stay flexible and adaptable,” Webster concluded, “and we’ll see where the opportunities take us."