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 working on the Burnout and Need for Speed series after EA acquired Criterion in 2004. Yet in early 2023 he, along with fellow Criterion alumni Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to leave the corporate giant and launch their own independent studio in the United Kingdom, Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio stands on the brink 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’s arrival is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, Racer Revenge, hit shelves in 2002 – a full 24 years ago.
In the intervening decades, the racing genre has generally lost steam. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with UK studio Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis stating that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer. Meanwhile, Criterion, once a powerhouse of arcade‑style racing, has shifted its focus to the Battlefield franchise. Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a market exists for a new Star Wars racer.
“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 response we get from people watching our videos and reading our articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that genres tend to be cyclical. “We went through a period where shooters dominated, but that’s not the only genre that can thrive. As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience.” Webster believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he feels Galactic Racer delivers exactly that.
The team’s vision is to create something fresh, an arcade‑style racer that also pushes the boundaries of what a racing game can be when it is no longer tied to 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 is designed to subvert long‑standing conventions of the genre. Traditional racing games have relied on a car‑collection model for the past 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 erases any penalty, but Fuse wants crashes to matter. "If you crash too many times you’re sent back to the start, but you keep some meta‑progression that puts you in a stronger position," he says.
"When you’re on your last allowed crash, you start to feel the risk and the tension." The game’s structure also draws inspiration from roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire—games built around infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability, so mixing it with roguelike loops feels like a match made in heaven," Webster notes. This design philosophy encourages players to experiment, learn from each run, and gradually build a more powerful avatar, rather than simply unlocking new cars in a linear fashion. Launching on October 6, Galactic Racer lands a few weeks before the highly anticipated GTA 6, which is slated for November 19, and shortly after other major releases like Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.
Webster acknowledges the crowded calendar but reminds us that busy pre‑Christmas windows are nothing new. "People used to call September ‘murderers’ row’ and October was packed as well," he says.
"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 industry, Webster reflects on his long tenure. He recalls a similar contraction fifteen years ago and emphasizes a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience.
He argues that the current climate shows an aversion to risk, which creates openings for studios willing to take calculated bets. "If you’re not willing to risk, you limit opportunity," he warns. Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy.
Funding was scarce, and many questioned the wisdom of launching a new company after a 32‑year stint at EA. Webster’s answer was to lean on core principles: assemble a talented team, refine a clear creative vision, and maintain disciplined planning—while accepting that plans will inevitably evolve.
He stresses that engaged, motivated talent is the engine of success, and it’s the studio’s job to nurture that engagement. Fuse Games operates with a relatively small core team—around 75 people—for a title that aspires to AAA scope. This deliberate size avoids the industry’s typical “grow‑shrink‑grow” cycle.
Instead, Fuse supplements its workforce with external partners, ranging from transactional outsourcing for asset creation to full co‑development where external studios sit in on stand‑ups, Slack channels, and code repositories. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a key advantage, noting that today’s studios are eager to collaborate rather than protect their own silos.
According to Webster, this hybrid model allows a studio to deliver AAA‑level scope, scale and visual fidelity on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from the studio’s founding to a near‑ready product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates that the approach can work when executed with discipline and the right partners. Another striking aspect of Fuse’s journey is the infusion of youthful talent. While the studio’s leadership includes veterans from Criterion, many of the developers are newcomers, and one producer has never worked in games before.
"The young talent we’ve hired is often smarter and more effective than I was at their age," Webster says. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require little mentorship, but this can stifle growth.
By actively nurturing younger staff, Fuse has discovered a competitive edge and is even considering an intern program, though the studio remains pre‑revenue and cautious about the costs involved. Webster also critiques the industry’s historic fixation on the “lone creative visionary.” He argues that this myth is "bullshit" and that successful games are the product of collaborative effort. In earlier, cash‑rich periods, many teams received funding simply because a previous hit gave them a reputation, only to discover that running a studio is far tougher than anticipated.
Webster believes that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than individual star developers. Looking ahead, Fuse Games does not have a fixed roadmap.
The launch of Galactic Racer is just the first step, and the studio remains open to new opportunities and ideas. Flexibility and adaptability, according to Webster, are essential for independent developers navigating an ever‑changing market. In summary, Matt Webster’s story is one of seasoned veterans breaking away to form a lean, innovative studio that blends arcade thrills with roguelike depth, leverages external partnerships, and places faith in fresh talent. His conviction that even the smallest niches can blossom as gaming’s audience expands underpins the belief that Star Wars: Galactic Racer will not only fill a long‑standing void but also demonstrate a sustainable path for future AAA‑scale indie projects.