A Surrey studio boss said he felt excitement and “a little bit of fear” ahead of the launch of the first dedicated Star Wars racing game in more than twenty years.<\/p>\n
Fuse Games, based in Guildford, released Star Wars: Galactic Racer on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Matt Webster, CEO of the independent studio, said launching the game – its debut – felt great but that it was an “interesting one emotionally”.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got anticipation, excitement, apprehension and a little bit of fear,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’re conditioned to see what’s wrong with it as opposed to all the wonderful things that are obviously right with it.”<\/p>\n
‘Hollywood of gaming’<\/p>\n
Webster said that Guildford had been a “pretty influential place to make video games for close to 40 years”.<\/p>\n
The commuter town – previously dubbed the “Hollywood of gaming<\/a>” – is home to dozens of games studios and publishers, such as Electronic Arts, Epic, Sledgehammer and Supermassive.<\/p>\n “People just don’t realise it,” he added. “Guildford is an incredible place to draw on talent.”<\/p>\n Webster, who previously helped develop classic racing titles such as Burnout and Need for Speed, described his studio’s latest game as a “high-stakes reinvention of racing”.<\/p>\n “It’s super high speed and [there is] consequential decision-making at every turn,” he said.<\/p>\n He told the BBC that the game, developed by around 75 people since 2023, centred around the end of the Empire – “if you know your Star Wars”.<\/p>\n “You’ve got a story and a character to play as well,” Webster continued.<\/p>\n Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a> and listen to BBC Radio Surrey on Sounds<\/a>. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk <\/a>or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.<\/p>\n More on this story