Fuse Games CEO Matt Webster will take the stage at Game Republic New Horizons in Middlesbrough this week to discuss Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the studio’s debut title and its first collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. The announcement, reported by Video Games Chronicle, confirms that VGC’s Andy Robinson will interview Webster about the game’s development journey just days before the racer launches on October 6, 2026 through publisher Secret Mode.
It’s a small conference appearance on paper. But it lands at a useful moment for the UK games industry, for Lucasfilm’s licensing strategy, and for a three-year-old studio trying to prove that a small team of racing-game veterans can still ship something that matters. Here’s what we know, what’s still unconfirmed, and why this particular session is worth watching.
What’s Happening at Game Republic New Horizons
Game Republic New Horizons is a regional UK games industry gathering held in Middlesbrough, and this year’s edition will feature Webster in a one-on-one interview format with VGC’s Andy Robinson. The session is billed around Fuse Games’ development journey on Star Wars: Galactic Racer, according to the VGC report that first surfaced the appearance.
Webster framed the appearance in enthusiastic terms. “We’re so excited to share our development journey with the attendees of Game Republic New Horizons,” he said, a line that signals this isn’t just a promotional drive-by but an attempt to give a regional audience a real look at how a small studio built a licensed Star Wars game from scratch.
What hasn’t been confirmed: the exact session format, the agenda beyond the interview itself, ticket pricing for attendees, or whether other Fuse Games staff will join Webster on stage. Readers should treat those details as open until the conference itself clarifies them.
Who Is Fuse Games?
Fuse Games was established in 2023 by a team of former Criterion leads, the studio behind the Burnout series and several Need for Speed entries. Webster, who serves as CEO and is also identified as the studio’s co-founder, previously held a general manager role at Criterion, giving Fuse Games direct lineage to one of the most respected arcade-racing pedigrees in the industry.
That background matters because Star Wars: Galactic Racer is Fuse Games’ debut release. A new studio’s first game is always a test of whether its founders’ reputations translate into a finished, shippable product, and doing that under a Star Wars license raises the stakes considerably. Lucasfilm doesn’t hand its IP to unproven teams lightly, which is itself a signal about how Lucasfilm Games viewed the Criterion pedigree behind Fuse.
For context on how other small and mid-size studios have fared under big publisher relationships recently, Grasshopper Manufacture’s exit from NetEase after five years is a reminder that studio-publisher marriages in this industry don’t always last, even when the initial fit looks strong.
Inside Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is Fuse Games’ debut title, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games and published by Secret Mode. Webster described the project in personal terms: “Star Wars: Galactic Racer is very much a passion project for Fuse Games and we can’t wait for players to experience the high-speed racing on 6th October.”
Outlets including IGN, Eurogamer, Game Informer, and GamesRadar+ have each covered the game ahead of launch, consistently describing it as a high-speed racer built around the destructive, momentum-driven feel that Fuse’s founders cut their teeth on at Criterion. The game reportedly centers on an underground, unsanctioned racing circuit set after the fall of the Empire, with races structured as runs rather than simple point-to-point laps, so a crash or a loss carries weight instead of resetting to a checkpoint.
Platforms and Release Window
The confirmed release date is October 6, 2026. Coverage from multiple outlets points to a simultaneous launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, putting the game in front of the three largest platform audiences on day one rather than staggering a release across generations or exclusivity windows.
No ticket price, session time, game price, or additional technical specifications have been confirmed in the material reviewed for this piece, so treat any number you see elsewhere with caution until Fuse Games, Secret Mode, or an official storefront listing confirms it directly.
The Lucasfilm Games Partnership
Lucasfilm Games’ involvement is the detail that turns this from a routine indie-racer launch into a story with wider industry relevance. The publisher side of Star Wars game development has shifted a lot over the past decade, moving away from the long exclusive arrangement that once defined EA’s hold on the license toward a broader slate of partners working on different genres and scales. A three-year-old studio with no prior shipped title landing a Galactic Racer collaboration fits that broader opening-up pattern, even though the specific terms of the Fuse-Lucasfilm arrangement haven’t been published.
It’s worth comparing this to how the license has been treated elsewhere recently. Our coverage of the Star Wars Jedi 3 leak showed how differently Lucasfilm and its partners handle unconfirmed information: EA offered zero confirmation on that leak, while Fuse Games and Secret Mode have been comparatively forthcoming about Galactic Racer’s release date and development story. That contrast says something about how license holders calibrate communication based on project stage and studio size.
Secret Mode’s Bet as Publisher
Secret Mode is the publisher of record for Star Wars: Galactic Racer. Publishing a licensed Star Wars title is a different kind of bet than publishing an original IP: the brand recognition does a lot of marketing work on its own, but it also raises the baseline expectation among buyers who’ve played prior Star Wars racing games and will compare the new release against them regardless of Fuse’s own track record.
Secret Mode’s willingness to back a debut studio on a licensed property is notable in a year when several bigger publishers have pulled back on new-IP risk. EA’s own restructuring, which we covered in EA’s $55B buyout, 51 days in, shows how much caution has crept into large-publisher decision-making lately. A smaller publisher picking up a first-time studio’s licensed racer cuts against that trend, at least at a smaller financial scale.
A Brief History of Star Wars Racing Games
Star Wars racing games have a long, uneven history. Star Wars Episode I: Racer, released in 1999, became a cult favorite for its pod-racing speed and remains one of the most fondly remembered entries in the wider Star Wars game catalog. Its follow-up, Star Wars Racer Revenge, pushed the combat side of racing harder but never matched the original’s reception. Since then, dedicated Star Wars racing titles have been rare, with the license focused more heavily on action-adventure and shooter genres across the past two decades.
That gap is part of why Galactic Racer draws attention beyond its own merits. It’s reviving a genre within the license that’s been mostly dormant for years, at a moment when, as PC Gamer has documented repeatedly, arcade racing more broadly has seen a resurgence of interest from smaller studios willing to take on genres the biggest publishers have deprioritized.
Competitive Comparison: Where Galactic Racer Sits in 2026’s Racing Field
Galactic Racer isn’t launching into an empty genre. Arcade and combat racers have had a mixed few years, with legacy franchises slowing down and smaller teams filling the gap with licensed or stylized alternatives. The table below lines up Galactic Racer against other racers currently relevant to the conversation, based on publicly available developer and publisher information rather than sales or review figures that haven’t been confirmed.
| Game | Developer | Publisher | License / IP | Studio Pedigree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: Galactic Racer | Fuse Games | Secret Mode | Lucasfilm / Star Wars | Former Criterion (Burnout) leads |
| Star Wars Episode I: Racer (1999, legacy title) | LucasArts | LucasArts | Lucasfilm / Star Wars | In-house LucasArts team |
| Star Wars Racer Revenge (legacy title) | Rainbow Studios | LucasArts | Lucasfilm / Star Wars | Rainbow Studios combat-racing team |
| Burnout series (franchise reference point) | Criterion Games | Electronic Arts | Original IP | Criterion’s own founding team |
The throughline is obvious: Fuse Games is effectively trying to recreate the Burnout formula inside a Star Wars shell, using the same creative leadership that built the original franchise reference point. Whether that transfers cleanly to a licensed setting is the open question the October 6 launch will answer.
Why a Regional UK Conference Session Matters
It’s easy to dismiss a single interview slot at a regional conference as minor news. But Game Republic New Horizons sessions like this one serve a specific function in the UK games ecosystem: they give smaller and mid-size studios a platform to explain their process to peers, press, and potential talent in a setting that doesn’t require the scale or budget of a showcase like Gamescom or PAX. Our coverage of Nintendo, WoW, and Bandai Namco’s confirmed PAX Aus 2026 presence shows how differently the biggest publishers approach conference appearances, leaning on scale and booth size rather than a single founder interview.
Fuse Games choosing a regional UK event just days before launch, rather than holding the conversation until after release, suggests the studio wants the development story told while the game is still fresh news rather than after review scores land and start to define the narrative on their own.
Market Impact for Licensed Indie Racing Games
If Galactic Racer performs well critically and commercially, it could encourage Lucasfilm Games and other IP holders to keep handing licensed projects to smaller studios rather than reserving them exclusively for established AAA partners. That shift has already been visible in how the Star Wars license has been distributed across more and smaller developers over the past several years, a trend our earlier reporting on Star Wars Jedi 3 touched on from the AAA side of the same license, and one The Verge has tracked across other licensed franchises moving toward smaller external partners.
The flip side is real too. A new studio’s debut title carrying a major license also carries outsized reputational risk if the game underperforms. A rocky launch wouldn’t just hurt Fuse Games, it could make Lucasfilm Games more cautious about handing future Star Wars projects to unproven teams, tightening the opportunity this release currently represents for other small studios eyeing licensed work.
Lessons From Other Recent Debut Launches
Galactic Racer isn’t the only recent example of a studio betting its identity on a single high-profile launch. Our coverage of Silent Hill: Townfall and Konami’s bet on a Scotland-based studio showed a similar dynamic: a publisher handing a beloved or high-value property to a team without a long shipped track record, then living with however reviewers and players respond. The reception there was split, a useful reminder that pedigree alone doesn’t guarantee a smooth launch, even with strong creative leadership behind the project.
What Happens Between Now and October 6
Between the Game Republic New Horizons session and the October 6 launch, expect a predictable run of pre-release coverage: platform-specific previews, additional interview excerpts drawn from Webster’s conference appearance, and likely a final marketing push from Secret Mode timed to the last week before release. None of that is confirmed yet, but it’s the standard playbook for a licensed title entering its final pre-launch stretch.
Review embargoes, if Secret Mode sets one, typically lift close to launch day for games at this scale, meaning the real test of whether Fuse Games’ Criterion pedigree translated into a polished product probably won’t be clear until the days immediately around October 6 itself.
Key Facts Snapshot
Here’s a condensed reference table pulling together everything confirmed so far about the studio, the game, and this week’s conference appearance.
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Studio | Fuse Games, founded 2023 by former Criterion leads |
| CEO / Co-founder | Matt Webster |
| Game | Star Wars: Galactic Racer (Fuse Games’ debut title) |
| Development partner | Lucasfilm Games |
| Publisher | Secret Mode |
| Release date | October 6, 2026 (confirmed) |
| Conference appearance | Game Republic New Horizons, Middlesbrough, UK; interview with VGC’s Andy Robinson |
| Pricing, platforms list, session agenda | Not confirmed as of this report |
Predictions: What to Watch Next
Based on the pattern of this launch and how similar debut-studio, licensed-IP releases have played out recently, here’s what’s worth watching over the next few weeks.
- Expect Fuse Games and Secret Mode to release additional marketing material, including trailers or gameplay breakdowns, in the days immediately following the Game Republic New Horizons session.
- Review scores around October 6 will likely draw heavy comparison to Burnout and the legacy Star Wars Episode I: Racer, given how directly the studio’s own pedigree invites that framing.
- If the launch goes well, expect Lucasfilm Games to be cited as a case study for handing licensed Star Wars projects to smaller, founder-led studios rather than only AAA partners.
- A strong critical reception would likely accelerate interest in Fuse Games’ next project, while a weak one could slow any follow-up licensing conversations industry-wide.
- Expect more regional UK conferences to court similar founder interviews from smaller studios launching licensed titles, following the template set by this Game Republic session.
All five points are editorial projections based on current reporting, not confirmed outcomes, and should be read as informed speculation rather than fact.
The Bigger Picture for Licensed Game Development
Step back from the specifics of one racer and one regional conference, and the Galactic Racer story is really about how licensed game development keeps fragmenting away from the old model of a single exclusive AAA partner. Lucasfilm Games spreading Star Wars projects across studios of very different sizes, including a three-year-old team with one unreleased game, mirrors what other major publishers are experimenting with as development budgets climb and risk tolerance for in-house AAA bets shrinks.
For UK developers specifically, Fuse Games landing a Lucasfilm collaboration just three years after founding is also a signal about where talent from larger studios can land. Criterion’s influence on the UK games scene has always extended well past Criterion’s own output, and Galactic Racer is the latest example of that lineage showing up somewhere new.
Related
- Star Wars Jedi 3 Leak Claims 2027 Launch, 0 EA Confirmation
- Nintendo, WoW, Bandai Namco Confirmed for PAX Aus 2026
- Silent Hill: Townfall Reviews Land, Konami Bets on Scotland
- EA’s $55B Buyout, 51 Days In: What Changed
- Grasshopper Manufacture Exits NetEase After 5 Years
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Star Wars: Galactic Racer?
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a Star Wars-licensed racing game and the debut title from Fuse Games, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games and published by Secret Mode. It’s scheduled to launch on October 6, 2026.
Who is Matt Webster?
Matt Webster is the CEO and co-founder of Fuse Games. He is scheduled to be interviewed by Video Games Chronicle’s Andy Robinson at the Game Republic New Horizons conference in Middlesbrough, UK, about the development of Star Wars: Galactic Racer.
When does Star Wars: Galactic Racer release?
The game is confirmed to release on October 6, 2026, through publisher Secret Mode.
What is Fuse Games’ history with Criterion Games?
Fuse Games was founded in 2023 by a team of former Criterion leads. Criterion is best known for developing the Burnout racing franchise and several Need for Speed titles, which is part of why Galactic Racer is being watched closely as a potential spiritual successor to that arcade-racing style.
Is Star Wars: Galactic Racer Fuse Games’ first game?
Yes. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is described as Fuse Games’ debut title, making this launch a significant first test of the studio’s capabilities since its founding in 2023.
What platforms is the game confirmed for?
Coverage from outlets including IGN, Eurogamer, Game Informer, and GamesRadar+ points to a PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S release. No official platform list has been published directly by Fuse Games or Secret Mode as of this report, so treat the platform list as reported rather than officially confirmed by the companies themselves.
Where is Game Republic New Horizons held?
Game Republic New Horizons is held in Middlesbrough, UK. It’s a regional games industry conference that, this year, includes an interview session with Fuse Games’ Matt Webster about Star Wars: Galactic Racer’s development.
Who published previous Star Wars racing games?
Earlier Star Wars racing titles, including Star Wars Episode I: Racer and Star Wars Racer Revenge, were published by LucasArts. Galactic Racer marks a different publishing structure, with Secret Mode as publisher and Lucasfilm Games credited as the development collaborator rather than the in-house publisher.
