Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started 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.
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. Just three and a half years later, the fledgling company is preparing 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‑themed racing game, 2002’s *Racer Revenge*. In the intervening decades, the racing genre has lost some of its mainstream appeal. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for the upcoming title *Clutch*, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis explaining that the market didn’t seem to fit the game.
Criterion itself has pivoted away from pure 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. “Our community feedback and the interest we see online tell us we’re not alone in thinking this.” Webster points out that video‑game genres are cyclical.
“Shooters dominated for a while, but they’re not the only genre that can capture players’ attention,” he said. “As more people play games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable audience.” He believes players are hungry for "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences they haven’t seen before," and he feels *Galactic Racer* delivers exactly that. The studio’s vision embraces the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also asking, "What can we do once we’re no longer bound by tyres and tarmac?" The answer, according to Webster, is tracks that climb the sides of active volcanoes, courses that feel like roller‑coasters, and other over‑the‑top set‑pieces that would be impossible in a realistic simulation. Yet the game is not just about high‑octane thrills; it also seeks to upend long‑standing conventions in the racing genre.
For the past two decades, most racing games have centered on car collection and incremental upgrades. Webster wants to rip that formula apart and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most radical ideas is to re‑introduce meaningful consequences for crashing.
In many modern racers, a rewind button eliminates any penalty, making crashes feel inconsequential. *Galactic Racer* will instead punish repeated crashes by sending the player back to the start of a run, though some meta‑progression carries over to give a slight advantage on subsequent attempts.
This risk‑reward loop mirrors the design philosophy of roguelikes such as *Hades*, *Returnal*, and *Slay the Spire*, which are built for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster notes, "so pairing it with roguelike‑style stakes feels like a perfect match." The game’s launch date—October 6—places it between two major industry events: the highly anticipated release of *GTA 6* on November 19 and a crowded September window that includes titles like *Control: Resonance* and *Silent Hill: Townfall* (both slated for September 24). While some observers worry about a busy pre‑Christmas schedule, Webster recalls past years when September was already jam‑packed, referring to it historically as "murderers' row." He acknowledges the competition but says Fuse Games approaches it with a "healthy sense of confidence" tempered by realistic expectations. "Good games find a way," he says, echoing a mantra that has guided his long career.
Webster also reflects on the wave of layoffs sweeping the industry. Having lived through a similar contraction fifteen years ago, he believes that great teams produce great games, and great games attract audiences. He warns that an aversion to risk can stifle innovation, but also sees opportunity for studios willing to make calculated bets. "If you’re not willing to take those risks, you limit your chances," he explains.
Funding an independent studio in 2023 has been far from easy. "People said, ‘You’re brave doing an indie studio now,’" Webster recalls. After 32 years at EA, stepping into an uncertain environment forced him to rely on core principles: building a strong team, sharpening a creative vision, and maintaining disciplined planning—even though plans are always provisional.
He emphasizes that a motivated, engaged team is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core—about 75 staff members—by design. Rather than expanding and contracting the internal team repeatedly, the studio leans on external partners for additional capacity.
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 codebase. Webster highlights the United Kingdom as an especially fertile ground for such collaboration, noting that the local industry has matured from reluctant, ad‑hoc assistance to enthusiastic, talent‑driven partnerships. According to Webster, this approach proves that a AAA‑scale game can be delivered on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team works with trusted external allies. The rapid development timeline of *Galactic Racer*—from Fuse’s founding in January 2023 to a launch in October 2026—demonstrates the model’s viability.
"We built a studio, assembled a team, and created a game on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of us had mastered at the start," he says. "Doing it in a healthy, sustainable way feels like an achievement." Another noteworthy aspect of Fuse’s strategy is its heavy reliance on younger developers.
While the studio includes veterans from Criterion, many of its contributors are fresh faces, some even coming from outside the gaming industry. One producer, for instance, had never worked on a game before joining the project. Webster praises this youthful energy, claiming that the newcomers often outperform older, more experienced hires in creativity and efficiency. He observes that seasoned developers sometimes prefer senior colleagues who require minimal interaction, which can hinder mentorship and growth.
By contrast, nurturing young talent not only motivates the newcomers but also revitalizes the veterans. Looking ahead, Webster hopes to formalize an internship pipeline to continue attracting emerging talent, though he admits the studio is still pre‑revenue.
He points to Criterion’s successful intern programs as a model and acknowledges the costs associated with developing talent, emphasizing the need for realistic expectations. Reflecting on the industry’s past excesses, Webster recalls a period five or six years ago when abundant funding allowed successful developers to spin off their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independent operation.
He argues that money should have been allocated to strong teams rather than glorified “single creative visionaries,” a notion he calls "fucking bullshit." In his view, games are always collaborative endeavors, not the product of solitary geniuses. As for Fuse Games’ next steps, Webster admits the future is still being written. The launch of *Star Wars: Galactic Racer* is just the beginning, and while the studio has ideas for subsequent projects, it remains committed to staying flexible and adaptable in a rapidly changing market.
"We’ll talk to anyone about potential opportunities, but as an independent developer you have to be ready to pivot," he concludes.