Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years contributing to the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises through Criterion, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together 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 is on the brink of releasing its debut title, *Star Wars: Galactic Racer*, a partnership with the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
The timing of the launch is noteworthy. The last Star Wars‑themed racing game, *Racer Revenge*, hit shelves in 2002—over two decades ago. Since then, the broader racing genre has struggled to maintain a prominent spot in the market.
Amazon recently cancelled a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for a forthcoming driving game called *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the title didn’t fit the current market landscape. Criterion itself has largely moved away from racing, focusing instead on the *Battlefield* franchise.
Despite these signals, Webster remains convinced that a demand 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 who think that, and the response we get from our videos and articles suggests we’re not alone.” He points out that video‑game genres tend to be cyclical.
After a period where shooters dominated, other types of games inevitably rise again. As the overall player base expands, even the smallest niches can attract sizable follow‑ups.
Webster believes gamers are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that. Fuse’s design philosophy embraces the instant‑gratification feel of classic arcade racers while also asking, "What can we do when we’re no longer bound by the constraints of tyres and tarmac?" The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and environments that defy conventional physics. Yet the studio isn’t merely adding spectacle; it is also trying to overturn entrenched genre conventions.
Most racing games for the past twenty years have relied on a car‑collection model, where players unlock new vehicles over time. *Galactic Racer* discards that formula, borrowing mechanics from roguelike titles such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*. The game emphasizes consequential decision‑making, especially around crashes.
While many modern racers offer a rewind feature that removes penalty, Fuse re‑introduces real stakes: too many crashes send the player back to the start, though some meta‑progression carries over, giving a sense of persistent growth. This blend of arcade thrills and roguelike persistence creates a "match made in heaven," Webster says, because racing inherently thrives on replayability.
The risk of a crash becomes a strategic element; when a player is on their final allowable crash, the tension forces them to weigh speed against safety, echoing the high‑stakes decision loops found in procedural‑generation games. Launching in a crowded release window adds another layer of challenge. *Galactic Racer* is slated for October 6, just weeks before the highly anticipated *GTA 6* (November 19) and shortly after other major releases like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* (both September 24). Webster acknowledges the density of the schedule but reminds us that the industry has weathered busier periods before.
"People used to call September ‘Murderers’ Row,’" he notes, "and October has always been packed as well. We have a healthy confidence tempered by a realistic view of how things might turn out." The conversation inevitably turns to the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Having witnessed a similar contraction fifteen years earlier, Webster observes that great teams produce great games, and great games find an audience.
He argues that the current climate shows a broad aversion to risk, which paradoxically opens opportunities for studios willing to make calculated bets. However, securing funding for an independent studio in 2023 proved difficult. "People thought it was brave to start an indie studio now," he recalls, "after thirty‑two years at EA I was stepping out of a bubble. The principles I’d learned—building a strong team, refining a clear creative vision, and staying disciplined—still apply, even when the plan is always imperfect." Fuse operates with a relatively lean core team—about 75 people—by design.
Rather than expanding and contracting staff in the traditional AAA fashion, the studio relies heavily on external partners. Outsourcing covers transactional asset creation, while co‑development brings external studios into Fuse’s daily workflow: they attend stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster highlights the UK’s mature development ecosystem as a fertile ground for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant assistance to enthusiastic partnership.
According to Webster, this hybrid model allows a studio to produce a AAA‑scale game on a sustainable budget. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—just three and a half years from Fuse’s founding to a near‑complete product built on Unreal Engine 5—serves as proof of concept.
"We started Fuse in January 2023, and now we have a studio, a team, and a game we never touched before," he says, emphasizing the achievement’s sustainability. A striking element of Fuse’s story is the infusion of young talent. While the studio’s leadership includes seasoned veterans from Criterion, many of its developers are newcomers to the industry, and one producer had never worked on a game before joining.
Webster praises this fresh perspective, claiming the younger cohort often outperforms older hires in creativity and efficiency. He also observes that senior developers sometimes prefer to work with peers who require minimal guidance, which can stifle mentorship.
Fuse has therefore pivoted its hiring strategy to prioritize nurturing emerging talent, with plans to eventually launch a formal internship program—though the studio remains pre‑revenue and aware of the costs involved. Reflecting on the boom years when well‑funded studios sprouted from successful titles, Webster criticizes the industry’s fixation on the myth of the "single creative visionary." He calls the notion "bullshit," insisting that games are the product of collaborative effort rather than solitary genius. This belief shapes Fuse’s culture: success is measured by the collective output of its team, not by the fame of a lone auteur.
Looking ahead, Fuse Games does not have a rigid roadmap. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the first chapter, and the studio remains open to exploring new opportunities and directions.
Flexibility, adaptability, and a willingness to take measured risks are the guiding principles Webster believes will sustain independent developers in an ever‑changing market.