Mark Cerny and Geoff Keighley launch university-affiliated fellowship program

Diego Argüello,Contributing Editor, News,GameDeveloper.com

September 9, 2026

4 Min ReadImage via Nova Games Foundation

PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny and video game show host Geoff Keighley have announced the Nova Games Foundation, a university-affiliated fellowship program aimed at supporting upcoming game developers.

Announced via Game File yesterday, the program intends to offer six-figure grants to 20 young game designers each year. The funding will be "no-strings-attached," meaning that fellows will retain full ownership of their projects with no equity demands.

The plan goes like this: recipients will each receive $100,000 with about a quarter of fellows eligible for up to $500,000 more for projects "that are shaping up particularly well." Payments will be delivered based on development milestones.

Nova is committed to help promote the work, and developers are free to pursue publishers and platforms of their choice. The program can help introduce fellows to publishers but won't take a cute, Game File notes.

"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 tells 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."

Cerny and Keighley have each made "multi-million-dollar donations" to establish the foundation, and hope that others will join the efforts. The duo has already hired an executive director, John Maconga, as well as Ashley Corrigan as head of grants.

"There's a personal side to this, too," Keighley tells Game File about Nova Games. "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."

Questions remain over Keighley's "neglected" Future Class honorees

Along with grants, the Nova Games Foundation intends to offer mentorship to the fellows that make it into the program. Keighley said that "dozens of leading game directors have already expressed interest in contributing their time." This includes Hazelight lead designer Josef Fares, who has donated to the program and pledged to help.

The mentorship offer is notable considering Keighley's previous venture, The Game Awards' Future Class program, which was an organization that highlighted industry professionals that "represent the bright, bold, and inclusive future of video games."

Following the Nova Games Foundation announcement, multiple former Future Class honorees criticized the promises of supporting new voices with the new program after the uneven experiences with Future Class. Game File's Stephen Totilo addressed these comments on a follow up thread on Bluesky.

According to Totilo, Keighley said Future Class was "a list to recognize emerging voices and potential leaders in the industry," saying there is a "shared belief" behind it and the Nova Foundation. That belief, he told Game File, is that "it's worth paying attention to people early in their careers and helping others see their potential."

"Nova has a different, more specific purpose. It’s focused on recent university and college graduates who want to make games. Recognition is part of it, but so is giving someone practical help to take the next step."

For context, a number of Future Class members and alumni raised concerns with The Game Awards management in 2023 and 2024 on two topics: the show's refusal to address real-world issues, and a dearth of opportunities and slim mentorship offerings that some felt did not live up to the organization's promises. Game Developer confirmed that the program was put on ice indefinitely.

The Game Awards removed the Future Class page on its website and eliminated the definitive record of previous honorees. At the time, an anonymous Future Class alumni accused the organization of using marginalized people for "pats on the back," with other sources feeling "neglected" and "disappointed, but not surprised."

As Game File notes, Nova Foundation applications will be due in December and the first wave of fellows will be announced in March 2027. A full list of participating universities and steps students and recent graduates can take to apply will be made available soon.

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About the Author

Diego Argüello

Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com

Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.

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