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, until EA acquired Criterion 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 release 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 time when traditional racing games have struggled to capture mainstream attention. Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving title called Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market simply didn’t have room for another racer.
Criterion itself has shifted focus away from 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 feedback and the interest we get from videos and articles tell us we’re not the only ones who think this genre still has life.” Webster points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical. After a period dominated by shooters, other styles inevitably resurface. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a larger audience,” he explains.
He 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 design philosophy behind Fuse’s project is rooted in classic arcade thrills combined with a willingness to push beyond the constraints of real‑world physics. “We wanted the instant gratification of an arcade racer, but also to explore what’s possible when you’re not limited by tyres and tarmac,” Webster says. The result includes wildly imaginative tracks that climb the side of an active volcano and twist like a roller‑coaster, offering a sense of speed and danger that conventional racing games rarely provide.
Beyond the high‑octane spectacle, Galactic Racer seeks to upend long‑standing genre conventions. Most racing games have relied on a static car‑collection model for the past two decades. Webster proposes tearing that formula apart and borrowing mechanics from other genres. One key innovation is the introduction of meaningful consequences for player mistakes.
In many modern racers, a rewind button can erase crashes, reducing risk to almost nothing. Fuse’s game, however, re‑introduces risk by making crashes penalise the player: too many crashes send you back to the start of a run, though you retain a small amount of meta‑progress that puts you in a slightly stronger position. This risk‑reward loop is inspired by roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are built around infinite replayability.
"Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so combining it with roguelike principles feels like a match made in heaven." The decision‑making element extends to strategic choices about when to push the limits of a vehicle or when to play it safe. As a player approaches their final allowable crash, the tension rises, forcing them to weigh the potential reward of a daring maneuver against the certainty of a game‑over.
This design choice marks a bold departure from the hand‑holding that has become common in AAA titles, especially as the industry prepares for the release of blockbuster games like GTA 6. Galactic Racer is slated for an October 6 launch, comfortably spaced before GTA 6’s November 19 release but still landing in a crowded autumn window that includes titles such as Control Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall (both arriving September 24).
Webster acknowledges the competitive landscape but remains confident. “The market has always been busy in September and October,” he says. “We have a healthy sense of confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things may turn out.” When discussing the broader industry climate, Webster reflects on the wave of layoffs that has swept through game development over the past year.
Having lived through a similar contraction fifteen years earlier, he emphasizes a timeless truth: great teams make great games, and great games find an audience. He argues that an industry-wide aversion to risk creates openings for studios willing to take calculated bets. “If you’re not willing to risk, you limit your opportunities,” he observes. Starting an independent studio in 2023 has not been without challenges.
Securing funding proved difficult; many investors were skeptical of a new studio led by a veteran who had spent three decades inside a corporate bubble. Webster recounts the learning curve: “I spent 32 years at EA, then I had to build a team from scratch, refine a creative vision, and accept that plans are always wrong but they’re the best we have at the moment.” He stresses the importance of building an engaged, motivated team and staying true to core values. Fuse Games operates with a relatively small core staff—around 75 people—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting the team repeatedly, the studio relies on external partners to fill gaps. This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing (pure asset creation) with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, share Slack channels and contribute directly to the code base. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting that today’s studios are eager to work on varied projects, keeping talent fresh and enthusiastic. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a compact core team is augmented by trusted partners who share the same values.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a finished product built on Unreal Engine 5—demonstrates the viability of the model. A notable aspect of Fuse’s workforce is the infusion of younger developers alongside the Criterion veterans. Some team members, including a producer, had never worked in games before joining the project.
Webster praises the fresh perspective and efficiency of the younger talent, stating that they have often outperformed more senior hires. He believes that nurturing junior staff not only motivates them but also challenges seasoned developers to grow, creating a mutually beneficial environment. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalise an internship program to further cultivate emerging talent, though he cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must manage costs carefully. He reflects on a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful developers to spin off their own studios, only to discover that financial backing alone does not guarantee success.
The industry’s past fixation on a single “creative visionary” has, in his view, been a myth. "Games are made by collaborations of individuals," he asserts, dismissing the notion that a lone genius can carry a project. As for Fuse’s next steps, the studio remains flexible.
While the launch of Galactic Racer marks a major milestone, Webster hints that the team is already brainstorming future opportunities and potential directions. For an independent developer in today’s volatile market, adaptability and a willingness to experiment are essential. "We’ve built a solid foundation, and now we’ll see where the next adventure takes us," he concludes.