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 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 studio is poised 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 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 remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for it. Criterion itself has largely shifted focus away from pure racing, devoting its resources to the Battlefield franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand exists. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars racing experience,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community, the people who watch our videos and read our articles, suggest we’re not alone in that belief.” He points out that genres tend to rise and fall in cycles.
After a period dominated by shooters, other types of games inevitably resurface. As video‑game participation broadens, even the most niche interests can gather a sizable following. Players, according to Webster, are craving “fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before,” and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, “What could we do if we weren’t limited by tyres and tarmac?” The answer, he explains, is tracks that climb the side of an active volcano, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other over‑the‑top environments that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Yet the game is not just about spectacle; it also seeks to upend long‑standing racing conventions. For two decades the genre’s core loop has revolved around collecting cars, a model Webster calls “stale.” He wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of those borrowed ideas is meaningful consequence.
In many modern racers, a “rewind” button removes the impact of a crash, eroding tension. Galactic Racer reintroduces risk: crashing too often forces the player back to the start of a run, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a slightly stronger position. This risk‑reward dynamic is inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, games built around endless replayability. “Racing thrives on replayability,” Webster notes, “so blending it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven.” The game’s structure rewards players for learning from mistakes.
When a driver is on their final allowed crash, they must weigh the danger of pushing harder against the penalty of restarting. That tension, Webster argues, is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases. Timing the launch is also a strategic decision.
Galactic Racer is set for 6 October, a comfortable gap before the highly anticipated GTA 6 release on 19 November, yet close enough to ride the wave of other major autumn releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall, both slated for 24 September. Webster acknowledges that September and October have historically been crowded windows—recalling the “murderers’ row” of titles that once flooded the market—but he remains confident. “Good games find a way,” he says, echoing an industry maxim that has guided him through multiple cycles of layoffs and market contractions.
Speaking on the broader industry climate, Webster observes a growing aversion to risk. He believes this creates openings for studios willing to gamble on unconventional ideas. However, he also admits that securing funding for a new independent studio in 2023 was far from easy. After three decades at EA, he found himself “in a bubble,” and the transition forced him to lean on core principles: assemble a talented team, crystallise a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will evolve.
Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core of about 75 staff, a deliberate choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague many large developers. Instead of constantly expanding and contracting, the studio supplements its capabilities through external partners. These collaborations range from pure outsourcing—transactional asset creation—to deep co‑development, where outside studios sit in Fuse’s daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories as if they were an internal extension.
Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such partnerships. In the past, external studios often helped out reluctantly, primarily to keep their lights on.
Today, many UK firms actively seek varied projects, keeping their talent fresh and motivated. This shift, he argues, enables a sustainable model for AAA‑scale games on a more modest budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer validates this approach.
Fuse launched in January 2023; three and a half years later they have built a studio, assembled a team, and delivered a full‑scale UE5 title despite none of the founders initially knowing the engine. “It feels like an achievement, and we’ve done it in a healthy, sustainable way,” Webster says.
Another noteworthy aspect is the infusion of young talent. While the studio’s leadership includes veteran Criterion alumni, many of the developers are newcomers to the industry, and one producer had never worked on a game before joining Fuse. Webster praises this fresh perspective: “Our younger staff are often smarter and more effective than I was at their age.
We’ve seen greater success with them than with some senior hires.” He also notes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who need minimal guidance, a mindset that can stifle mentorship. Fuse deliberately pivots toward nurturing junior staff, recognizing that growth and motivation are mutual.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalise an internship pipeline, though he acknowledges the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s historic intern programs as a model and stresses that any such initiative must be entered “with eyes wide open” because developing talent carries costs.
Reflecting on the era when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how successful developers were handed funding to start their own studios, only to discover the reality was far tougher than anticipated. He criticises the lingering myth of the “single creative visionary” as “fucking bullshit,” insisting that games are collaborative creations. As for Fuse’s next steps, the future remains fluid.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the beginning, and while the studio has ideas for subsequent projects, Webster stresses that independent developers must stay adaptable. The combination of a tight core team, strategic external partnerships, and a willingness to experiment with genre conventions positions Fuse Games to navigate the ever‑changing landscape of modern game development.