Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He began his tenure 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. Yet in early 2023, Webster, together with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires, and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games.
Roughly three and a half years later, Fuse is poised to release its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode. The timing of *Galactic Racer* is noteworthy. It arrives about 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*, and it does so during a period when racing games have generally lost some of their mainstream appeal.
Recent industry moves underscore this trend: Amazon withdrew 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 pivoted away from racing to focus on the *Battlefield* franchise. 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 racing game,” he told GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re not the only ones thinking that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that gaming genres are cyclical.
After a period dominated by shooters, other categories inevitably resurface as player tastes evolve. “As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches find a bigger audience,” he adds. Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that. The studio set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what becomes possible when a game is no longer constrained by realistic tyres and tarmac.
“We have tracks that climb the side of an active volcano,” he explains. “Sometimes it feels like a roller‑coaster.” Beyond the high‑octane thrills, *Galactic Racer* aims to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre.
Traditionally, racing games have relied on a car‑collection model that has remained largely unchanged for two decades. Webster wants to tear that model apart and borrow mechanics from other genres.
One of the most radical changes is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates penalty, but Fuse intends to re‑introduce risk: a crash can send the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, placing them in a stronger position for the next attempt. This risk‑reward dynamic forces players to weigh each maneuver carefully, especially when they are on their final allowable crash. The game’s design is also heavily inspired by roguelike principles found in titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*.
Those games emphasize infinite replayability, a trait that dovetails naturally with racing’s competitive loop. By integrating procedural elements, persistent upgrades, and a death‑and‑retry system, *Galactic Racer* aspires to become a “match made in heaven” for fans who love to race over and over again. Launching the title on October 6 positions it strategically between other major releases.
While the blockbuster *GTA 6* is slated for November 19, *Galactic Racer* lands after September’s heavyweight launches like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall*. Webster acknowledges the crowded pre‑Christmas window but notes that the industry has weathered busier schedules before. “People used to call October ‘murderers’ row,’ and it was always packed,” he says, emphasizing that Fuse approaches the market with a “healthy sense of confidence” tempered by realistic expectations. The conversation inevitably turns to the broader industry climate, particularly the wave of layoffs that has swept through studios.
Webster, a veteran who remembers a similar downsizing period fifteen years ago, observes that great teams produce great games, and great games find an audience. He argues that the current risk‑averse environment actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets. “When you avoid risk, you limit opportunity,” he explains.
Funding, however, has been a hurdle for the fledgling studio. “People said, ‘You’re brave starting an independent studio in 2023,’” Webster recalls.
After three decades at EA, he found himself navigating a new landscape where securing capital required a clear vision, disciplined planning, and an ability to adapt when those plans proved imperfect. He stresses the importance of building an engaged, motivated team that shares the studio’s values. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 people—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting staff in response to project peaks, the studio relies on a network of external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends outsourcing for transactional asset creation with co‑development relationships where external studios become extensions of the internal team, participating in daily stand‑ups, Slack channels, and even sharing codebases. Webster highlights the United Kingdom as an especially fertile ground for such collaborations, citing its mature development ecosystem and the willingness of companies to work across multiple projects. According to Webster, this approach demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game can be built on a sustainable budget without the traditional large‑team, high‑overhead structure.
The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—from Fuse’s founding in January 2023 to a launch in late 2024—serves as proof of concept. “We built a studio, a team, and a game on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of us had mastered at the start,” he says.
“It feels like an achievement, and we did it in a healthy, sustainable way.” The studio’s talent mix also reflects a deliberate shift toward younger developers. While many of the founders are Criterion veterans, Fuse has hired numerous newcomers, including a producer with no prior game‑development experience.
Webster praises this fresh perspective: “Our young talent is often smarter and more effective than we were at that age. We’ve had greater success with them than with some senior hires.” He notes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer working with equally senior colleagues, which can limit mentorship opportunities. By focusing on nurturing younger staff, Fuse hopes to create a culture of continuous learning and motivation.
Looking ahead, Webster envisions an intern program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he acknowledges that Fuse is still pre‑revenue and must tread carefully. He draws inspiration from Criterion’s successful internship pipelines and stresses that any such initiative must be entered with “eyes wide open” regarding the costs of talent development. Reflecting on a period when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how many successful teams received funding to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independent operation.
He criticizes the industry’s lingering fixation on the myth of the “single creative visionary,” calling it “bullshit.” In his view, games are collaborative endeavors, and the focus should be on strong teams rather than singular star developers. As for Fuse’s next steps, Webster admits the future is still being mapped out. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and directions.
“As an independent developer, you have to stay flexible and adaptable,” he concludes. "We have ideas, we have a vision, and we’ll see where the market and our creativity take us next."