Two stars of the gaming industry have founded an organization to help aspiring specialists in the field of game design get on their feet. It is called the Nova Games Foundation.
This philanthropic non-profit organization will implement a funding and professional development program for students studying game design, in collaboration with educational institutions worldwide.
Annually, this program is expected to operate as follows:
- 20 young game designers with the most interesting proposals will be selected;
- each will receive $100,000 to implement their project (not as a lump sum, but through installments aligned with development stages);
- the amount can increase to $500,000 if the project is particularly successful;
- the rights to the game will remain with the developer upon completion;
- Nova Games Foundation will provide marketing assistance free of charge and can facilitate contacts with publishers upon request.
The declared goal of the program, according to Keighley, is to help new voices create games and find their footing.
Nova Games Foundation is already partnering with 13 educational institutions across 8 countries, whose students graduating in 2026 and 2027 are eligible to apply for the grant.
- Mark Cerny — lead architect of the PlayStation 4 and 5, and game designer for Ratchet & Clank, God of War III, Ratchet & Clank, Knack, among other games.
- Geoff Keighley — media manager, host, and producer of major game shows such as The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest.