Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent almost twenty years contributing to the legendary Burnout and Need for Speed series under Criterion, the studio EA acquired in 2004. Yet in early 2023 he, along with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to break away and launch their own independent venture, Fuse Games, based in the United Kingdom.
Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the verge of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, which will be published by the newly independent label Secret Mode. The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. It arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge* (2002), and it does so in an era when traditional racing franchises have struggled to maintain mainstream appeal. Recent industry moves illustrate this shift: Amazon scrapped a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t have room for another racing game.
Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racers, has redirected its resources toward the *Battlefield* series. Despite these signals, Webster remains confident that a market exists for a Star Wars racing experience. “We clearly see an audience for a Star Wars‑based racer,” he told *GamesIndustry.biz*. “Our community feedback – from video views to article comments – suggests we’re not alone in that belief.” He points out that gaming 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 can find a larger audience,” Webster added.
According to Webster, modern players crave fresh, compelling experiences that feel novel. *Galactic Racer* is designed to deliver exactly that. The team aimed to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring the possibilities that emerge when developers are no longer constrained by realistic physics, tyres and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explained. “Sometimes it feels more like a roller‑coaster than a conventional circuit.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, the game seeks to upend long‑standing genre conventions. For decades, most racing titles have been built around a car‑collection model, a formula that hasn’t fundamentally changed in twenty years. Webster wants to rip that structure up and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One such influence is the roguelike tradition, exemplified by games like *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*. These titles emphasize infinite replayability and meaningful consequences for each run. *Galactic Racer* incorporates similar ideas by making crashes matter. In many modern racers, a “rewind” button eliminates the penalty for mistakes, but Webster’s vision re‑introduces risk: too many crashes send you back to the start, though you retain some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position for the next attempt.
This creates tension, especially when you’re on your final allowed crash and must weigh the danger of pushing harder. Webster acknowledges that this approach departs from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases, but he believes it is essential for standing out in a crowded market, especially in a year when heavyweight titles such as *GTA 6* are slated for release. *Galactic Racer* is set to launch on October 6, comfortably before *GTA 6*’s November 19 debut, yet still close to other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* on September 24.
“September always looks busy,” he notes, recalling the industry’s old term “murderer’s row” for a packed launch window. “October has historically been just as packed.” Despite the competition, Fuse Games maintains a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by a realistic outlook.
The conversation naturally turned to the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios over the past year. Webster, a veteran with over three decades of experience, reflects on a similar downturn fifteen years ago. “Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience,” he says. He observes a growing aversion to risk among publishers, which in turn creates opportunities for developers willing to take calculated bets.
“If you’re not willing to make bold choices, you limit your potential,” he warns. Starting a new studio in 2023 has not been without its hurdles. Securing funding proved difficult; many peers questioned the wisdom of launching an independent studio at a time when the market felt uncertain. Webster describes the experience as a steep learning curve after leaving EA’s protective bubble.
He emphasizes a set of core principles that guided Fuse: assemble a talented, motivated team; refine a clear creative vision; maintain disciplined planning while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve; and stay true to the studio’s values. By adhering to these tenets, Fuse has been able to keep its team engaged and productive.
Fuse’s staffing model is deliberately lean for a game of AAA scope, with roughly 75 core employees. Rather than expanding and contracting the internal roster—a pattern Webster describes as “grow, shrink, grow, shrink”—the studio relies heavily on external partners to fill skill gaps. This hybrid approach blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios join daily stand‑ups, Slack channels and even the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage, noting that today’s studios are eager to collaborate across projects, unlike the reluctant partnerships of the past.
Webster believes this model can deliver AAA‑level quality on a more sustainable budget. He cites the rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer* as evidence: Fuse was founded in January 2023, and within three and a half years the team built a studio, assembled a team, learned Unreal Engine 5 from scratch, and produced a polished, high‑fidelity title. “It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way,” he says.
The studio’s talent mix also reflects a generational shift. While many of the founding members are veterans of Criterion, Fuse has intentionally hired a wave of younger developers, some of whom have never worked on a game before. One producer, for example, entered the industry straight from university.
“The young talent we’ve brought in is astonishingly smart and effective—often more so than I was at their age,” Webster remarks. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer to work alongside peers of similar seniority, which can limit mentorship opportunities.
By focusing on nurturing younger staff, Fuse has discovered a more dynamic and motivated workforce. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate fresh talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must manage costs carefully. He draws parallels to Criterion’s successful intern pipelines, suggesting that a well‑structured program could pay dividends in the long run. When reflecting on the industry’s past reliance on “superstar” creators, Webster is blunt: the notion of a single visionary steering a game is “fucking bullshit.” Great games are the product of collaborative effort, not solitary genius.
He believes that funding should be directed toward strong teams rather than individual personalities. As for Fuse’s future beyond *Galactic Racer*, Webster admits plans are still taking shape.
The launch is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities, always emphasizing flexibility and adaptability as hallmarks of independent development. The journey from EA veteran to indie studio founder illustrates how a blend of experience, risk‑taking, and a willingness to experiment can carve out space for niche genres—even in an industry that often leans toward the safe and familiar.