Fuse Games CEO details distributed model behind Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Fuse Games has outlined how it organized production on Star Wars: Galactic Racer. In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, CEO Matt Webster described a distributed model with four groups: the core studio, co-development partners, external development partners and outsourcing partners. Game Developer reported on the interview.

Outsourcers sit furthest from the core team. They supply specific assets on request, with limited interactions and clear deliverables. Webster said the process is a brief in and an output back for integration, but that studios should still build relationships with these partners because it leads to better results.

External development covers whole sections of the game assigned to teams outside the company. Webster said the photo mode was built by an outside studio and slotted in, which he credited to Unreal Engine. Such features need a clear brief and a cross-discipline team covering production, art, UI and code.

Co-developers are the closest partners. Webster described them as an extension of the Fuse Games team who happen to work for another company. They join stand-ups, take part in Slack and work as part of the main team.

Game Developer notes that the terms co-development and external development are often used interchangeably, and that Fuse's split is a useful reference for telling them apart. On the numbers, the outlet says hard sales figures are still pending. Gamesindustry.biz's description of a core team of 75 sits alongside credits listing about 1,100 professional roles, and Game Developer says Webster's model explains the division of labor more clearly than either figure.