Geoff Keighley is collaborating with Mark Cerny to create a fellowship program for game design graduates. This initiative aims to give back to the industry, and they hope to garner ongoing support from within the gaming community for years to come.
The Nova Games Foundation is a university-affiliated fellowship program that awards six-figure grants to 20 young game designers each year. Founded by Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PlayStation 5, and Geoff Keighley, host of The Game Awards, the initiative aims to create a lasting legacy for themselves and stability for gaming.
They have appointed John Maconga as executive director and Ashley Corrigan, former director of the Game Developers Conference, as head of grants to help its launch.
Geoff Keighley and Mark Cerny Invest Millions in Game Design
Speaking to Stephen Totillo of Game File, Cerny said he believes he is nearing the end of his career and hopes to “pay it forward.”
Geoff Keighley echoed many of those sentiments and noted that he and Mark Cerny have invested millions of dollars in this new project.
“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.
“Mark and I have each made multi-million-dollar donations to establish the foundation, and we intend to keep contributing. We hope others will join us.”
They hope to find not only the next generation of talented game designers, but also team leaders and visionaries to ensure the industry’s stability in the future.
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