Mark Cerny, lead system architect of PlayStation, has said he is "approaching the end" of his career and wants to "give back" to the industry by supporting future game creators. Together with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley, he has founded The Nova Games Foundation, which will award grants to emerging developers.
In an interview with Game File, Cerny and Keighley explained that the scheme involves paying $100,000 to each of 20 young game designers annually. The most promising projects will be eligible for additional funding of up to $500,000. Nova will also facilitate connections between developers and publishers, as well as assist with game marketing. The foundation will not derive financial benefit from its investments, and grant recipients will retain full freedom in choosing their publisher and release platforms.
Applications will open in December for the 2026–2027 cohort. The program includes 13 educational institutions from eight countries, among them New York University, the University of Southern California, Scotland's Abertay University, France's Cnam-Enjmin, Germany's TH Köln, and Australia's RMIT University Melbourne. Geoff Keighley noted that he had always wanted to give something back, but given his role in the industry, never felt it appropriate to invest commercially in games. He emphasized that he has never owned shares in a gaming company or taken a financial stake in a game. According to him, Nova is a charitable endeavor: the foundation takes no equity and expects no repayment of grants. The return the organizers are counting on is creative — helping new voices make games and find their footing. Keighley also shared that he and Mark have made multi-million dollar donations to establish the foundation, intend to continue supporting it, and expressed hope that others will join them.
One of the first developers brought into the initiative is Josef Fares, lead designer at Hazelight Studios and creator of the co-op hits It Takes Two and Split Fiction. He stated that he is proud to support Nova, as the foundation gives the next generation of creators the freedom to explore their own imagination and bring unique ideas to life. Cerny and Keighley are seeking other prominent industry figures to participate in the project. According to Keighley, "dozens of leading game directors" have already expressed interest. Cerny himself expects the foundation to grow "over the next 10 or 20 years."