Why catching the Burnout Paradise magic is so hard, according to the developers behind Star Wars: Galactic Racer
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Veterans behind Burnout Paradise and the upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Racer explain why matching the classic arcade racer's magic is so difficult, and how they plan to introduce real consequences to modern racing.
Nearly two decades after its initial release, Burnout Paradise remains a towering benchmark for arcade racing. Its open-world freedom and chaotic multiplayer left a permanent mark on the genre. Yet matching that specific brand of lightning in a bottle has proven nearly impossible for modern developers. Speaking with Eurogamer at Summer Game Fest, Fuse Games founder Matt Webster and creative director Kieran Crimmins reflected on what made the Criterion classic work and why recapturing that exact magic is such a steep uphill climb. Webster explained that the team was essentially making things up as they went along while pushing arcade racing into an open-world space for the first time.
That pioneering spirit is exactly what Webster and Crimmins are trying to channel with their current project, Star Wars: Galactic Racer. However, the developers noted that simply copying the past will not cut it in today's landscape. Crimmins pointed out that because Paradise was such a massive leap forward for its time, a modern spiritual successor has to bring genuine innovation to the table rather than relying on pure nostalgia. For Fuse Games, moving the genre forward means addressing what they see as a missing ingredient in modern racers, which is a true sense of consequence in player choices and on-track disasters.
Webster argued that modern mechanics like the rewind button often strip away the high-stakes tension that made older arcade titles so memorable. By building a structure where crashes and vehicle builds carry genuine weight, Galactic Racer aims to reintroduce that gripping tension while keeping the player experience front and center. For a community of players raised on live-service economies and high-speed social sandbox games, a fresh take on arcade racing that respects player agency and risk could be exactly what the genre needs right now.
Tags: Burnout Paradise, Star Wars Galactic Racer, Fuse Games, Racing Games, Gaming News
Original article: Eurogamer