Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent close to twenty years contributing to Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, before EA absorbed it 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 racing effort, the 2002 release *Racer Revenge*. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has struggled to maintain 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 remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style speed, has pivoted away from cars to focus on the *Battlefield* franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars‑themed racing experience. “We clearly see demand for a Star Wars racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “Our community’s reaction to our videos and articles tells us we’re not the only ones who think this could work.” He argues that video‑game genres are cyclical.
“Shooters dominated for a while, but they’re not the only genre that can capture players’ attention. As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can grow into viable markets.” Webster believes gamers are searching 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 racers while also exploring what’s possible when you’re no longer bound by realistic tires and road surfaces.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the adrenaline‑pumping thrills, the game deliberately subverts long‑standing racing conventions.
Traditionally, racing titles revolve around car collection—a formula that hasn’t changed in roughly two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. The result is a system where player choices have genuine weight. For example, crashes are no longer just a visual setback; they carry real consequences.
“In many racers you can hit a rewind button and erase mistakes, which removes tension,” he notes. “We re‑introduce consequence so each crash matters.” The design philosophy draws heavily from roguelike principles found in games like *Hades*, *Returnal* and *Slay the Spire*.
Those titles are built around infinite replayability, a quality that aligns perfectly with racing’s core loop. In *Galactic Racer*, excessive crashes send you back to the start, but you retain a slice of meta‑progression that makes you slightly more powerful on subsequent attempts. This risk‑reward dynamic forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they’re on their last allowable crash and the stakes feel “system‑critical.” Webster acknowledges that this approach is a bold departure from the hand‑holding typical of many AAA releases, but he also sees it as a way to differentiate in an increasingly crowded market. The game is slated for an October 6 launch, comfortably ahead of the highly anticipated *GTA 6* release on November 19, yet close enough to other major titles such as *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall*, both arriving on September 24.
“September always looks busy,” he recalls, “but October has historically been a ‘murderer’s row’ of releases. We’re aware of the competition, but we have a healthy confidence tempered by realism.” When asked about the wave of industry layoffs, Webster reflects on his long tenure and the previous round of cuts fifteen years ago. “Great teams make great games, and great games find an audience,” he says.
He warns that the current climate is marked by a pervasive aversion to risk, which can stifle innovation. “Those willing to take calculated risks will find opportunities. If you play it safe, you limit yourself.” Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been far from easy.
“People told me it was brave to start a studio now,” Webster admits. After 32 years at EA, he found himself navigating a new landscape of limited capital and heightened scrutiny. His guiding principles remained the same: assemble a talented team, sharpen a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that any plan will inevitably evolve. “Engaged, motivated talent produces great work.
It’s our job to keep them inspired.” Fuse Games remains relatively lean for a title of AAA ambition, employing roughly 75 people. This size is intentional; the studio avoids the typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle by leaning heavily on external partners.
Rather than expanding and contracting an internal roster, Fuse outsources asset creation when needed and engages in co‑development relationships where external studios become extensions of the core team—participating in stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even sharing codebases. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work across multiple projects, keeping their workforce fresh and motivated.
According to Webster, this hybrid model proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small permanent core is augmented by trusted partners who share the same values. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—from Fuse’s inception in January 2023 to a launch in just over three years—demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. “We built a studio, a team, and a game on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of us had mastered at the start. It feels like an achievement, and we did it sustainably.” A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger talent alongside veteran Criterion alumni.
Some producers on the project had never worked in games before. Webster praises this fresh perspective: “Our young developers 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 observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer working with peers who need minimal guidance, which can hinder mentorship. By deliberately nurturing younger staff, Fuse creates a culture of mutual growth.
Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue. He points to Criterion’s historic success with intern pipelines as a model and stresses the importance of entering such initiatives with realistic expectations about cost and effort. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period when successful games attracted abundant funding, allowing developers to spin off their own studios—only to discover that building a company is far tougher than creating a hit title. He criticizes the lingering myth of the “lone creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In reality, games are collaborative endeavors that thrive on diverse contributions.
As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster remains flexible. “The launch is just the beginning for us,” he says.
“We’ll be talking to partners about future opportunities, and we have ideas for where we want to go, but independence means staying adaptable.” The studio’s focus now is on delivering *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* and proving that a small, well‑coordinated team can still produce a high‑quality, ambitious experience in today’s competitive landscape.