Fuse Games, a studio comprised of developers from Electronic Arts and Criterion Games, is set to release Star Wars: Galactic Racer, its inaugural title. The game revives a genre Lucasfilm Games had largely left untouched since 1999's Star Wars Episode I: Racer. Lucasfilm Games executive producer Craig Derrick and Fuse Games founder Matt Webster discussed their approach to developing the arcade racer, emphasizing a desire to innovate the genre without relying solely on Star Wars nostalgia.
While Episode I: Racer served as a foundational influence, Webster and Derrick aimed to create an experience that felt both fresh and familiar. "Our goal wasn't to just make players remember something that they played a long time ago," Derrick stated. "It was, 'how do we lean into the authenticity of Star Wars and nostalgia and make something new, make it feel like it's something you've never experienced before, but yet can call back to those memories and that experience?'"
Players may find Galactic Racer presents a steep learning curve, a deliberate design choice by Fuse Games. "The joy of discovery is really powerful, and I think in game-making we're coming out of the other side of perhaps the over-tutorialization of some experiences," Webster explained. He believes players benefit from the freedom to experiment and learn game mechanics organically rather than being explicitly guided through every step. This philosophy aims to strike a balance between accessibility and gameplay depth.
This approach is most evident in the game's run-based, roguelite progression. Players participate in a series of races, with failure in qualifying races necessitating a return to earlier stages. This structure draws parallels to games like Supergiant Games' Hades, where repeated attempts and learning from failure are key to progression. Webster confirmed that the game is, by technical definition, a roguelike, highlighting the consequence and stakes involved in each race. "It’s that aspect of consequence, it's that reinforcement of the core loop of the game, that there are things at stake, and victory is going to be hard-earned," he said.
The emphasis on replayability was also a driving factor, as Webster noted that racing games thrive on players spending time with vehicles and environments to master their nuances. The development team's decision to integrate a roguelike structure was not a departure from their initial inspiration but rather an evolution of it. Derrick explained that they could have easily leaned into a more traditional racing game model based on Episode I, but both Fuse Games and Lucasfilm Games desired something more ambitious.
"The goal from the very beginning was just don't make a good racing game and put Star Wars on it," Derrick said. "Make a game that could only exist as a Star Wars racing game."
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is scheduled for release on October 6 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.