Mark Cerny, the celebrated architect behind the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and Geoff Keighley, the well‑known host of The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest and Opening Night Live, have joined forces to create the Nova Games Foundation. This initiative is a philanthropic fellowship designed to provide financial backing, mentorship, and industry connections to the next generation of game designers. Although the foundation operates independently of The Game Awards and PlayStation, it aims to nurture talent that might otherwise struggle to secure the resources needed to bring innovative ideas to life. According to a report from Game File, the Nova Games Foundation will award $100,000 grants to twenty emerging designers annually.
Approximately one‑quarter of those recipients will be eligible for a larger tranche of funding—up to $500,000—if their projects demonstrate exceptional promise or align closely with the foundation’s artistic vision. The grants are intended to be pure philanthropy: the foundation does not seek equity, royalties, or any financial return on the money it distributes. Instead, the hoped‑for return is creative, measured by the new voices it helps to amplify and the fresh experiences they bring to players worldwide.
Beyond the monetary support, each fellow will receive mentorship from seasoned veterans of the video‑game industry. This mentorship component is a core pillar of the program, ensuring that recipients not only have the capital to develop their concepts but also benefit from guidance on design, production, marketing, and business strategy. Importantly, the fellows retain full ownership of their intellectual property, allowing them to negotiate publishing deals or platform agreements on their own terms.
The Nova Games Foundation can facilitate introductions to publishers, platform holders, and other potential partners, but it does not impose any contractual obligations that would compromise the creator’s autonomy. Applications for the inaugural cohort will open in December and will be available to graduates from the class of 2026 and 2027 who have completed one of the thirteen university programs affiliated with the foundation. These programs span eight countries and include institutions such as TH Köln in Germany, RMIT University in Australia, Cnam‑Enjmin in France, Abertay University in Scotland, and the United States partnership between New York University and the University of Southern California.
By targeting a diverse set of academic environments, the foundation hopes to attract a wide array of cultural perspectives and design philosophies. Both Cerny and Keighley are personally financing the foundation with multi‑million‑dollar contributions, and they have indicated a commitment to continue investing as the organization expands. "Nova is philanthropy: we aren't taking equity or looking to recoup the grants," Keighley explained to Game File. "The return we're hoping for is creative – helping new voices make games and find their footing." This philosophy reflects a broader trend in the industry toward supporting artistic expression rather than purely commercial ventures.
The foundation’s leadership team includes John Maconga as executive director and former Game Developers Conference director Ashley Corrigan as head of grants. Their experience in event organization, community building, and grant administration will be instrumental in shaping the fellowship’s processes and ensuring transparency. Additionally, Josef Fares, the director known for It Takes Two and Split Fiction, has pledged both a monetary donation and ongoing support for the initiative. "I'm proud to support Nova because it gives the next generation of creators the freedom to explore their creativity and hopefully bring their unique visions to life," Fares said.
Cerny emphasized that the foundation views games as an artistic medium, citing titles such as Neva, Abzu, Gorogoa, Stray, and Outer Wilds as exemplars of the type of work Nova hopes to enable. These games are celebrated for their evocative storytelling, innovative mechanics, and emotional resonance, illustrating how interactive experiences can achieve the same cultural impact as film, literature, or visual art. By providing resources to developers who aim to create similarly ambitious projects, the Nova Games Foundation aspires to broaden the spectrum of games available to players and to elevate the medium’s reputation. Keighley's inspiration for the fellowship concept stemmed from several personal experiences.
He recalled an unsuccessful attempt to secure a Rhodes Scholarship, which highlighted the challenges of accessing elite funding opportunities. He also referenced the MacArthur Foundation’s "genius grants" and the work of Jenova Chen—creator of Flower and Journey—as models for supporting visionary creators. By combining these influences, Keighley and Cerny hope to craft a program that removes financial barriers while fostering artistic risk‑taking.
In practice, the fellowship will operate on a yearly cycle. After the application window closes, a panel of industry experts will review submissions based on criteria such as originality, feasibility, artistic merit, and potential impact. Selected fellows will then enter a structured mentorship program, meeting regularly with their assigned mentors and participating in workshops, pitch sessions, and networking events.
The foundation will monitor progress, provide feedback, and help the fellows navigate challenges that arise during development. The broader significance of the Nova Games Foundation lies in its potential to diversify the voices shaping the future of interactive entertainment. By targeting young designers from a range of educational backgrounds and geographic regions, the program can help surface stories and gameplay experiences that reflect a wider array of human experiences. Moreover, the non‑equity nature of the grants ensures that creators retain control over their work, encouraging experimentation without the pressure to conform to market‑driven formulas.
As the gaming industry continues to mature, initiatives like the Nova Games Foundation signal a shift toward recognizing games as a legitimate artistic form worthy of patronage and cultural investment. If successful, the foundation could serve as a blueprint for other philanthropic efforts aimed at nurturing creativity across the digital arts.
The combination of substantial financial support, seasoned mentorship, and a commitment to artistic freedom positions Nova to make a lasting impact on the next wave of game development talent. The first cohort is expected to be announced in early 2025, with the inaugural grant recipients beginning their projects later that year. Observers and aspiring developers alike will be watching closely to see how the foundation's approach influences both the careers of its fellows and the broader ecosystem of independent game creation.