# Geoff Keighley, Mark Cerny team up to invest in the education of young game devs

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/geoff-keighley-mark-cerny-team-up-to-invest-in-the-education-of-young-game-devs/
- Published: 2026-09-09T01:13:53+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-09T07:18:42+00:00
- Original publisher: Destructoid
- Original article: https://www.destructoid.com/keighley-cerny-grant-program-invest-education-game-devs/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Keighley and Cerny launch Nova Games Foundation for student game designers
- Grants of $100,000 yearly, up to $500,000 more for strong projects
- Hazelight's Josef Fares joins as founding donor and mentor

## Summary

Geoff Keighley, creator of The Game Awards, and Mark Cerny, PlayStation's lead system architect, have launched the Nova Games Foundation, a philanthropic scheme offering six-figure grants to student game designers. Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares (It Takes Two, Split Fiction) has joined as a founding donor and mentor, lending a prominent developer's name to the venture, and Keighley has said he hopes other established industry figures will follow suit and contribute. Both men stressed the initiative is purely charitable: neither is taking equity or seeking to recoup funds, having each made multi-million-dollar personal donations to establish the foundation.

The foundation will award $100,000 grants each year to 20 student game designers, with the possibility of further payments of up to $500,000 for projects that progress well, tied to development milestones; recipients retain ownership of their games. Applications open in December for students in the graduating classes of 2026 and 2027, with 13 partner universities worldwide, including NYU and USC in the United States, Abertay University in Scotland, Cnam-Enjmin in France, TH Köln in Germany, and RMIT in Australia. Cerny, describing the move as "paying it forward" as he nears the end of his career, said the foundation reflects a shared belief in investing in human talent to shape the future of the games industry.

## Coverage

- [Destructoid: Geoff Keighley, Mark Cerny team up to invest in the education of young game devs](https://www.destructoid.com/keighley-cerny-grant-program-invest-education-game-devs/)
- [GamesRadar+: PlayStation console mastermind Mark Cerny is "nearing the end" of his career and putting millions into helping the next generation of game devs](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/playstation-console-mastermind-mark-cerny-is-nearing-the-end-of-his-career-and-putting-millions-into-helping-the-next-generation-of-game-devs/)
- [IGN: PlayStation Architect Mark Cerny 'Nearing the End' of Career, Launching Fellowship Program With Game Awards Creator Geoff Keighley](https://www.ign.com/articles/playstation-architect-mark-cerny-nearing-the-end-of-career-launching-fellowship-program-with-game-awards-creator-geoff-keighley)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.