Mark Cerny and Geoff Keighley have introduced the Nova Games Foundation aimed at providing financial support to emerging designers
Mark Cerny and Geoff Keighley have initiated a new philanthropic initiative called the Nova Games Foundation, designed to financially assist budding game designers.
As reported by Game File, this fellowship—independent of The Game Awards and PlayStation—intends to grant $100,000 to 20 selected designers annually. About 25% of these individuals may qualify for additional funding of up to $500,000 for particularly promising projects.
Along with financial support, the program offers guidance from seasoned industry professionals. Beneficiaries maintain full ownership of their creations and have the flexibility to choose any publisher or platform, with Nova providing networking assistance.
The application process begins in December for graduates of 2026 and 2027 across 13 partner universities in eight different countries, including Germany's TH Köln, Australia's RMIT, France's Cnam-Enjmin, Scotland's Abertay University, and both NYU and USC in the United States.
Cerny, known for leading the design of PlayStation 4 and 5, and Keighley, who hosts The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and Opening Night Live, are personally backing the foundation with several million dollars and plan to continue their investment as the foundation matures.
Keighley expressed that the foundation's aim is altruistic; they do not seek any equity stakes or returns on the grants, rather they hope to encourage creative exploration among new talents in game development.
The foundation's leadership includes John Maconga as the executive director and former Game Developers Conference director Ashley Corrigan overseeing grants. Josef Fares, renowned for directing titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction, has also committed both financial and moral support.
Fares emphasized the importance of such initiatives, stating that empowering upcoming creators to innovate is key to bringing their unique ideas to life.
Cerny highlighted the importance of recognizing games as a form of artistic expression and mentioned works such as Neva, Abzu, Gorogoa, Stray, and Outer Wilds as the types of projects that Nova aims to bolster.
Keighley revealed that the concept for this fellowship partly drew inspiration from experiences like his own unsuccessful attempt for a Rhodes Scholarship, the grant models of the MacArthur Foundation, and Jenova Chen's success with innovative games like Flower and Journey.