“You’re actually really funny,” is a phrase Cory heard quite often. He had this knack for giving off an ornery grump vibe at first (and second) blush, then shattering the illusion with a bright humor that looked surprisingly good on him. Well, mostly shattering. He was still a bit of a grump, let’s be honest; just a lovable, gentle, hilarious one.
He had an intrinsic kindness he often applied but never flaunted. An unparalleled devotion and gratitude to his parents and the family he made. More love for his friends than he could ever properly express. And he always hoped everyone he ever met would find happiness… and financial security. (Are you saving for retirement?)
He loved hockey, pinball, Parks & Rec, a perfectly bubbly homemade pizza crust, and finding a good deal. And he loved you, if you’re reading this.
Since he has friends and family all over, we set up this memorial page as a place for us all to gather. If you have a message or story or photo to share below, please do us all that kindness so we can laugh or cry or roll our eyes in fond exasperation along with you. If you’d like to send a card or letter, or if you’d like to donate in his honor to help others in lieu of flowers or gifts, there’s information here.
His memory will forever be a gift.
My name is Erik San Juan and I worked with Cory Barron at Sony Santa Monica for 14 years. Cory was so great to work with and I will always remember our friendship through all the triumphs and tough times crunching on all those God of War games. He got me through some tough times there at the end before we got booted, but I always knew he was going to find happiness after. Years later we ended up running the “Vault of Glass” Raid in Destiny together with 4 others–and I will say I felt like I had gone to war with Cory and survived. It was one of the most intense gaming experiences but so much fun to go through with him. The laughs and relief at the end of that run were amazing–that feeling will never leave me. Cory would also check in with me through the Pandemic and always text me out of the blue. I am sad that my friend is gone, but I will never forget him and I look forward to when I can see him again. Lastly, to Kaycee and his family, I am so so sorry for your loss. I will be donating to his cause and getting checked out at the Doctor for sure. I am so glad this page was made where I can express my sadness at his passing. I miss you Cory, thank you for everything in this world and see you in the next.
-Erik
I worked with Cory at Sony Santa Monica.
I was a co-worker for a long time and eventually became his manager.
Cory was grumpy but we always got along and at the end of the day we would have a laugh about just the craziness of game development and all the drama that comes with it.
As his manager he always reminded me about fairness and sticking up for the little guys. Something that I still remember and practice to this day.
Thanks Cory for teaching me that lesson.
I had the pleasure to work with Cory at Bungie, we were in the same small team and we also sat next to each other for a while. That time spent working together was fantastic and one of my best parts of my career. He was professional but funny, he was humble, a great team player, and always available.
I was guilty of often forgetting to bring my lunch and Cory always offered to walk with me to whatever food place so I would not go alone, which eventually lead to a great friendship. We shared a “passion” for complaining about things and we had the best complaining sessions while walking (mainly from Bungie to Jimmy Johns), it was just fantastic. 🙂
After I moved California, we always stayed in touch and he was there to support me during dark life moments. He always encouraged me to stay on top of my health and my finances, which shows how much he cared for our friendship and I greatly appreciated it.
For years, he tried to bring me back to Bungie and to WA State, and eventually he succeeded! I was looking forward to hopefully work together again and have more great complain-walks to Jimmy Johns.
Thank you Cory for being a great friend, I will deeply miss you.
In 2011 he took a chance hiring me as his intern and which lead to us working together for 3.5 years at Sony Santa Monica.
I owe so much of my professional development to Cory. He was my first real mentor ( whether he knew it or not ) and he displayed so much enthusiasm for our discipline in User Interface Design and exhibited so much patience with teaching a young intern the ins and outs of game development.
Like many have said, he could be perceived as a grump, but anyone who worked with him closely would tell you that he was much much more. Cory was unbelievably witty and was never short on funny comments or a good laugh. He also had a fascination with new tech, gadgets and gizmos and was always happy to share his latest finds with me.
I know he will be greatly missed by all.
I worked with Cory for years at Bungie on a few different projects. I’m probably guilty of saying the exact phrase at the top of this page to him–because I certainly didn’t expect how hilarious he could be with a well-timed comment or subtle look! It was always unexpected coming from someone with such humility, kindness, and reserved patience. I feel lucky to have known him and worked with him.
Thank you, Cory.
Cory, I’m so disappointed you didn’t show me you also rocked the goatee. I miss you. It was great to get to be your report and learn from you while I was starting up at Bungie – you know, in the “old days” when we could walk around the park for our one on ones. I felt like it was easy to talk to you about things, and you always helped calm me down or give me ideas of what I could do next. I’m so grateful to have those memories, and to have gotten to know you.
I worked closely with Cory at Sony Santa Monica. He was no doubt one of the good guys. Passionate and opinionated but always open to hear what others had to say. Unfortunately I haven’t see Cory in a while, but on occasion I thought about him and imagined running into him at one of the video game conventions. I am very sad to hear that his life was cut short. I will cherish our interactions and will miss him. Rest in peace my friend!
Cory was my first boss in games, working at Sony Santa Monica on God of War 4. He taught me everything he could fit into my thick, resistant head and put me to good use in the big machine with a patient grounded view and a professional outlook on the whole wild, unpredictable show that is our profession. I learned a lot from him in those years and he really helped me get on my feet.
We stayed in touch over the next ten years or so, the last time I talked to him was not more than a few weeks ago. He was trying to help me into my next job when I was looking. That’s how I remember him with everyone…always helping and offering a leg up. Cory was a great human being and a rock solid developer.
Rest in peace Cory, thank you for giving me a shot and making me better than I was.
Very sorry to hear this. I worked with Cory on the God of War games at Sony, spending many hours perfecting his UX implementations as part of the engineering team. He was a friendly positive chap and he left his mark on some all time classic videogames.
My deep condolences to you all
Tim
My name BJ McCoy. Cory called me Aunt Brenda or Brenda. He was a good kid and he grew up to be an amazing adult. I admired him for doing the job he did. He will truly be missed by his family and friends. Cory we all love you with all our hearts. Don’t have any photos to post out. But if you want I can hunt for some younger pictures. I only have school pictures and pictures of him really young.
Hello all.
I’m Steven, Cory’s cousin. It has been many years since we have seen each other. I believe when our grandmother passed away in, Hemet was the last time. Our home town.
I knew he designed aspects of vidoe games and as a gamer I appreciated that very much. We would email each other once and while and I knew we both had our own lives and are happy with them.
As kids and late teenagers we would spend a lot of time together at the house of my aunt and uncle remodel home. That my uncle was always working on. 😊😉 We Played Star Wars, G.I Joe, Link and Logs, and we would swim a lot. I remember one time we designed a way to transport water on a desert world. (With our imagination)
Also we explore his father’s model RC planes in the garage.
(Im this posting what comes to mind)
When I heard that Cory’s health was.
not well. I honestly didn’t think he would pass so quickly and the realization that he is gone. (Cory was about an year older than me) Was Surreal. I was sad for my aunt and uncle for losing their son.
Another younger memory of Cory was he would walk on his toes and I thought it was a cool way to get around.
Reading these comments I’m happy he had good friends, co-workers. Also he was grumpy from a young age.
I love you Cory I wish you well on your journey.
OK, truthfully I never knew the Grumpy Cory — just the unflappable, amiable one. (Maybe his alleged grumpiness matched mine, thus cancelling it out?)
He was and will forever be part of my introduction to the industry and a strong association to when it was most fun.
Nothing but pleasant and endless laughs and for that I am forever thankful.
(The attached two pics, in order, are 1 – Cory wins a raffle…yay!, and 2 – Cory wins a second raffle a minute later …insert guilty look from a sheepish Cory even though it was totally on the up and up.)
My granddaughter was never a big fan of men except for her dad. Until Uncle Cory came to visit one Christmas. She insisted only he could help her open presents, she had to hold only his hand at the mall and just generally fell instantly, madly in love with him. We all know why that would happen. I will always remember your smile, Cory. Simpatico, buddy.
We are Cory’s parents. There are no words to express how much Cory is loved and how much he will be missed. We will miss that smile and all of his hugs the most. Their is an empty spot in our hearts, but we do have so many happy memories that we will cherish and hold very close to our hearts.
To those who shared some of their memories about Cory, thank you! It was special to see that side of him.. For those who have donated to the charities that Cory chose, thank you. We are so proud that Cory wanted to help others through the charities he chose. To Kaycee, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Love you Kiddo, until we meet again!
I worked closely with Cory for the last five years , mostly on improving the UI development experiences at Bungie. During that time, Cory was one of the most considerate, kind, and thoughtful people I knew. He cared deeply about everyone else’s experience; whether that was about using the tools at work, or as a manager mindful of his reports.
Some memories:
– We did a complete playthrough of Pandemic Legacy (took a couple years though)
– He created a custom pinball experience for Carnival Week
– Always telling us to use up the funds in our HRA account before they disappeared for they expired for the year
– He created icons for components in the UI Editor as a side project, when he found time between his other responsibilities.
The last one doesn’t seem like much, but I think it really speaks to Cory’s nature. Even when there’s a lot of other things going on; like planning, testing, prototyping, and managing, when IC stuff wasn’t his core responsibility; he still got a lot of joy from making improvements that would make someone’s day brighter. Cory’s a creator, and he left his mark on the game industry with his work on God of War and Destiny, even behind the scenes.
Miss ya Cory. Thank you for all you’ve done.
I just found out. Sorry to be so far out of contact with you. We had a lot of fun in high school together, then a great summer of long commutes to Hollywood from Hemet. I found an awesome news paper photo of us on a high school band trip. I’ll share it here. We had the best hair at the time.
-Grant
Cory I never met you in person but felt like I have because you’re mother spoke about you all the time , your parents were so proud of you . You will be missed. Sending love and support to all his loved ones.
Missing you!
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Happy Birthday Son! We miss you! Love you Mom & Dad
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