Mark Cerny, the visionary architect behind both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and Geoff Keighley, the celebrated 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 give financial backing, mentorship, and industry connections to the next generation of game creators.
According to reporting from Game File, the foundation operates independently of The Game Awards and of Sony’s PlayStation brand. Its core offering consists of a $100,000 grant awarded to twenty promising designers each calendar year.
About a quarter of those recipients will be eligible for an extra tranche of funding—potentially as much as $500,000—if their project demonstrates exceptional promise or aligns closely with Nova’s artistic goals. The grants are intended to be pure gifts; the foundation does not demand equity, royalties, or any financial return on the money it distributes. Beyond the monetary award, each fellow receives mentorship from seasoned veterans of the gaming industry. This mentorship is meant to help creators refine their concepts, navigate technical challenges, and understand the business side of game development.
Importantly, the fellows retain full ownership of any intellectual property they produce under the program. They are free to seek publishing deals or platform partnerships of their choosing, while Nova offers to facilitate introductions to relevant publishers, distributors, and platform holders when appropriate. The application window opens in December and remains open through 2026 and 2027 for graduates of thirteen partner university programs located across eight countries. Among the participating institutions are TH Köln in Germany, RMIT University in Australia, CNAM‑ENJMIN in France, Abertay University in Scotland, and the United States duo of New York University and the University of Southern California.
By targeting students from these schools, Nova hopes to tap into a diverse pool of talent that reflects a broad spectrum of cultural and creative perspectives. Cerny and Keighley are personally underwriting the foundation with multi‑million‑dollar contributions. Both have pledged to continue investing additional capital as the program expands, ensuring that the fellowship can sustain its ambitious grant sizes and mentorship components over the long term. "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." The foundation’s leadership team includes John Maconga, who serves as executive director, and Ashley Corrigan, a former director of the Game Developers Conference, who heads the grants division. Their combined experience in both game development and community building is expected to streamline the selection process and provide robust support for fellows throughout the development cycle. Renowned developer Josef Fares, known for directing It Takes Two and Split Fiction, has also pledged a financial contribution and pledged his personal support to 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 in a statement. Cerny articulated the artistic mission of the fellowship, emphasizing that games should be recognized as a legitimate artistic medium. He cited several recent indie titles that exemplify the kind of work Nova hopes to nurture, including Neva, Abzu, Gorogoa, Stray, and Outer Wilds.
These games are celebrated for their innovative design, evocative storytelling, and ability to push the boundaries of what interactive media can achieve. Keighley's inspiration for the fellowship model stems from his own experiences with prestigious scholarship programs. He referenced his unsuccessful bid for a Rhodes Scholarship, the MacArthur Foundation’s famed "genius grants," and the career of Jenova Chen—USC graduate and creator of critically acclaimed titles such as Flower and Journey—as conceptual touchstones for Nova’s structure.
By mirroring the generosity and prestige of those programs, Keighley hopes to provide a comparable platform for aspiring game designers. The broader impact of the Nova Games Foundation could be significant.
By providing substantial, non‑dilutive funding, the program lowers the financial barriers that often prevent talented creators from turning prototypes into polished, market‑ready experiences. The mentorship component adds a layer of professional guidance that can accelerate learning curves, reduce costly missteps, and foster industry relationships that might otherwise take years to develop. In addition to the core grant and mentorship, Nova plans to host workshops, networking events, and showcase opportunities where fellows can present their work to potential investors, publishers, and peers. These events aim to build a supportive community around the fellows, encouraging collaboration and cross‑pollination of ideas across different cultural and technical backgrounds.
As the gaming industry continues to mature, initiatives like the Nova Games Foundation signal a shift toward recognizing games as cultural artifacts worthy of artistic patronage. By investing directly in creators rather than commercial entities, Cerny, Keighley, and their partners are championing a future where innovative, heartfelt, and experimental games can flourish without the constraints of traditional market pressures. The foundation’s first cohort of fellows is expected to be announced in early 2025, with the inaugural grants slated for distribution later that year.
Aspiring designers who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to submit their applications when the portal opens, and to prepare compelling portfolios that demonstrate both technical skill and a clear artistic vision. Through this blend of financial support, mentorship, and industry access, the Nova Games Foundation aspires to become a catalyst for the next wave of groundbreaking interactive experiences.