Mark Cerny Partners with Geoff Keighley to Launch Multi-Million Dollar Nova Games Foundation as He Nears Career End

PlayStation's lead systems architect, Mark Cerny, has announced that he is "nearing the end" of his career. As he prepares for the future, Cerny is turning his attention toward philanthropy by teaming up with The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley to launch The Nova Games Foundation. The new philanthropic initiative aims to award substantial financial grants to aspiring game developers, potentially supporting the next generation of creators for decades.

Cerny, currently 62 years old, is a seasoned industry veteran whose career began in 1982. Over the years, he has worked at Atari, spent an extended period at Sega, and contributed to numerous well-known software projects. Since 2007, he has served as a primary hardware architect for PlayStation, designing both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. While rumors suggest he may currently be working on future hardware projects, including portable and console models of the next generation, Cerny acknowledges that his active tenure in hardware development is entering its final stages.

"I'm nearing the end of my career," Cerny told Game File. "I'm not done yet, but paying it forward—in the best way possible—is very much on my mind these days."

The Nova Games Foundation Structure

To establish the foundation, both Cerny and Keighley have personally made multi-million-dollar donations, with plans to continue contributing over time. The initiative is structured entirely around philanthropy; the foundation will not take equity, seek to recoup grants, or profit financially from its investments. Recipients of the funding will remain free to partner with publishers of their own choosing and determine which platforms they want their games to launch on. Nova's role will involve connecting creators with publishers and helping market their projects without taking any financial stake.

The program is scheduled to begin accepting applications in December, focusing on the 2026 to 2027 class of graduates. It will target 13 college programs across eight countries, including institutions such as New York University, the University of Southern California, Scotland's Abertay University, France's Cnam-Enjmin, Germany's TH Köln, and Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Under the current plan, the Nova Games Foundation will distribute $100,000 to each of 20 young game designers annually. The most promising projects among these will be eligible for up to $500,000 in additional funding. Keighley highlighted that the goal of this structure is purely creative, noting that he has never owned stock in a video game company or taken a commercial interest in a game due to his role in the industry.

Industry Support and Long-Term Goals

Cerny expressed a desire for Nova to grow and continue its operations over the next 10 to 20 years. Reflecting on how the industry has shifted since his beginnings in 1982, Cerny noted that today's graduates possess talent, training, and tools that far surpass what was available in the past, but they face a highly challenging landscape when trying to build traction.

The foundation has already started garnering support from other high-profile figures within the games industry. Josef Fares, the lead designer at Hazelight Studios (known for titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction), has signed on to support Nova. Fares stated that he is proud to support the project because it gives the upcoming generation of creators the freedom to explore their creativity and bring unique visions to life. According to Keighley, dozens of other leading game directors have also expressed interest in participating.