Two game industry icons are paying it forward. The host and creator of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, is teaming up with game designer and PlayStation 5 architect Mark Cerny to invest millions in the next generation of game developers, Game File reports. A joint philanthropic initiative called Nova Games Foundation will give millions away to new university graduates to help them bring their games to market.
“I’ve always wanted to give back, but given my role in the industry, I’ve never felt it appropriate to commercially invest in games,” Keighley told Game File. “I’ve never owned stock in a game company or taken a financial stake in a game. Nova is philanthropy: we aren’t taking equity or looking to recoup the grants. The return we’re hoping for is creative—helping new voices make games and find their footing.”
Here’s how it will work. Nova Games Foundation is partnering with 13 university programs from around the world including New York University, the University of Southern California, Abertay University in Scotland, Cnam-Enjmin in France, TH Köln in Germany, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. Grants will be awarded to 20 students each year.
They start at $100,000, but can go up to $500,000 for projects that look exceptionally promising, with the need to meet development milestone requirements in order to unlock the full funds. The foundation is now accepting applicants from the recent graduating class of 2026 and upcoming class of 2027.
“Mark and I have each made multi-million-dollar donations to establish the foundation, and we intend to keep contributing,” Keighley added. “We hope others will join us.”
Game File reports that the idea is modeled after programs like Rhodes Scholarships and the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grants,” and grew out of Keighley and Cerny’s budding friendship and their aspiration to provide a lasting endowment that will only grow bigger over the next 10 to 20 years. The projects funded will prioritize “artistic, literary and societal value,” with the aim of also providing mentorship and a bridge to full-time employment in a game industry where the ladder to long-term success feels like it’s being pulled up.
“There’s a personal side to this, too,” Keighley told Game File. “I don’t have children, and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I can do for future generations. Games have been my entire career. I’ve been incredibly fortunate, and helping someone else build a life in this industry feels like a meaningful way to give back.”