You know Mark Cerny from PlayStation hardware, not from feel-good philanthropy—but that's about to change. The lead systems architect says he's “nearing the end” of his career and wants to “pay it forward.” To make that happen, he's teamed up with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley on The Nova Games Foundation.
Here's the pitch: every year, 20 young game designers get $100,000 from Nova. The most promising projects can qualify for another $500,000 on top. None of that money has to be repaid, and Nova won't take a cut or hold any equity. It's not an investment fund. It's a no-strings grant program.
That doesn't mean Nova just mails a check and walks away. The foundation plans to introduce developers to publishers and help market their games. But the developers themselves keep control, choosing their own publisher and deciding which platforms the games land on. For a lot of up-and-coming creators, that kind of freedom is the part that matters most.
Keighley says he's thought a lot about how to give back without turning the industry into a financial game. “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,” he explains. “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 poured multi-million-dollar donations into getting the foundation off the ground. Keighley says they both plan to keep contributing and hope other influential people in games do the same.
The first wave pulls from 13 college programs across eight countries, including NYU, USC, Scotland's Abertay University, France's Cnam-Enjmin, Germany's TH Köln, and Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Students at those schools get the first shot at applying.
Nova already has one major name on its side: Josef Fares, the Hazelight Studios lead behind It Takes Two and Split Fiction. “I'm proud to support Nova because it gives the next generation of creators the freedom to explore their creativity and hopefully bring their unique visions to life,” Fares says.
Cerny and Keighley are still on the lookout for more industry vets to join the cause. Keighley says “dozens of leading game directors” have already shown interest. Not a bad start for something built entirely on goodwill.