Mark Cerny and Geoff Keighley have joined forces to create the Nova Games Foundation, a charitable fellowship designed to give financial and mentorship support to the next generation of video‑game creators. The initiative, which operates independently of The Game Awards and PlayStation, is structured to award sizable seed funding to promising young designers while preserving their creative independence. According to a report from Game File, the foundation intends to distribute $100,000 grants to twenty emerging developers annually. About one‑quarter of those recipients will be eligible for a supplemental award of up to $500,000 for projects that demonstrate exceptional potential or artistic ambition.
The money is meant to cover development costs, prototyping, hiring talent, or any other expenses that might otherwise block a small studio from moving forward. Beyond the cash infusion, each fellow will receive direct mentorship from seasoned industry veterans. This mentorship component is a core pillar of the program: mentors will share technical knowledge, design philosophy, business strategy, and networking tips. Importantly, the fellows retain full ownership of any intellectual property they create, and they remain free to negotiate publishing deals or platform agreements with any partner of their choosing.
Nova will act as a facilitator, making introductions to publishers, distributors, and platform holders when the fellows request assistance. The application window opens in December and will be open to graduates from the class of 2026 and 2027 who have completed one of thirteen partner university programs spread across eight nations.
The list of participating schools includes 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. These institutions were selected because they have strong curricula in interactive media, game design, and related disciplines, ensuring that the pool of candidates is both technically skilled and creatively diverse. Both Cerny and Keighley are contributing multi‑million‑dollar personal investments to seed the foundation, and they have indicated that they will continue to fund the organization as it scales. Cerny is best known as the lead architect behind the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 hardware platforms, while Keighley is the long‑time host of The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and Opening Night Live.
Their combined experience gives the fellowship a unique blend of technical rigor and public‑facing industry insight. "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 statement underscores the foundation’s philosophy that success should be measured in artistic impact rather than financial profit. To run the day‑to‑day operations, the foundation has appointed John Maconga as executive director. Maconga brings a background in nonprofit management and a passion for interactive media.
Ashley Corrigan, former director of the Game Developers Conference, has been hired as head of grants, tasked with evaluating applications, allocating funds, and overseeing the mentorship matching process. The initiative has also attracted support from prominent creators; Josef Fares, the director behind It Takes Two and Split Fiction, has pledged both a monetary donation and ongoing advocacy for the program. "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.
His endorsement signals confidence from the broader development community that the fellowship will nurture innovative projects that might otherwise struggle to find backing. Cerny has 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 kind of experiential, story‑driven work Nova hopes to enable.
These games are celebrated for their distinctive visual styles, emotional resonance, and willingness to experiment with gameplay mechanics, qualities that align with the foundation’s mission to champion originality. Keighley's inspiration for the fellowship model draws from several personal experiences. He once applied for a Rhodes Scholarship but was not selected, an episode that sparked his interest in creating opportunities for others. He also pointed to the MacArthur Foundation’s "genius grants" and the career of Jenova Chen—USC alumnus and creator of Flower and Journey—as templates for supporting visionary talent without imposing restrictive commercial expectations.
In practice, the Nova Games Foundation will operate on a rolling cycle. After the December opening, applicants will submit portfolios, design documents, and prototypes.
A review board composed of industry veterans, educators, and previous fellows will assess each submission based on criteria such as originality, feasibility, artistic merit, and potential impact on the medium. Successful candidates will enter a year‑long fellowship that pairs them with a mentor, provides the grant funds, and offers networking events, workshops, and showcase opportunities. The long‑term goal of the foundation is to build a sustainable pipeline of independent creators who can push the boundaries of interactive storytelling, mechanics, and visual expression. By removing financial barriers and offering seasoned guidance, Nova hopes to cultivate a diverse ecosystem where games are not only profitable products but also cultural works that reflect a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
Overall, the Nova Games Foundation represents a significant investment in the future of game development. With the combined clout of Cerny’s engineering expertise and Keighley’s industry visibility, coupled with substantial monetary backing and a clear commitment to artistic freedom, the program is poised to become a catalyst for groundbreaking titles that might otherwise remain unrealized. The initiative stands as a testament to the growing recognition that video games, when nurtured with the right resources, can serve as powerful vehicles for creativity, empathy, and innovation.