Brian Schmidt:
We are all saddened by the loss of one of our own.
Jory Prum passed away this weekend at the far too early age of 41. Jory had worked on over 100 video games over his career for  companies such as LucasArts, Telltale and DoubleFine, plus film work with Pixar, earning respect and admiration for every project he touched. I knew Jory as one of most outgoing and friendly members of our game audio community, his work in ia-sig, project BBQ and of course GDC.  He was one of those people who, although you might only see them a couple times a year, nonetheless always felt like an old, familiar friend. Jory was always ready to lend a hand, answer  a question or give advice to anyone who asked. We recently connected over a project he was excited about and were due to follow up after GDC, and I was looking forward to the conversations on many things game audio which will now never take place.. We will miss your presence as part of the game audio family, Jory.

Alex Brandon:
I knew Jory as a passionate audio engineer and a just plain happy guy all around. And looking back I've found we spent more time together more than I remembered. We were both on an education working group at Project Bar-B-Q in 2008. We always said hello and chatted at GDC. But most shockingly is that I had forgotten he wanted to pick my brain at GDC for a venture he was starting up. We never ended up connecting this year. And now he's gone.

I followed his adventures to Norway on Facebook. He loved dual studios and travel back and forth. He loved audio. And I remember presenting him and the team for his work on The Walking Dead for Best Dialogue. He was also one of the most knowledgeable people on HTML5 web audio. If you had a question on it, Jory had an answer.

Not many in our industry have left us so suddenly and so young. When it happens there's really nothing that can be done except remember him with as much fondness as if he were still here. And I plan to do just that.

Marty O’Donnell: 
When I met Jory for the first time two years ago at the Nordic Game Conference in Malmo, Sweden, I felt like we had already been friends for a lifetime. He was open, generous, giving, and probably the most knowledgeable person about audio tech I’ve ever met. Of course he instantly fixed my ailing Mac laptop and then gave amazing advice on creating presentations. We shared meals, drinks, stories, and laughter. He fearlessly loved life and we will deeply miss him.

Clint Bajakian:
I just wrote an email description to someone who did not knowv Jory. I thought I’d simply include that as my tribute:  “Michael, Peter and I hired Jory into LucasArts in his first professional game audio foray in the mid-nineties. Since then, he’s constantly flourished, and his prowess in sound and music, the science of audio, acoustics, his excellent ear for mixing and managing DME, and his warm, engendering personality, won the affinity of everyone. He fell in love and married a lovely Norwegian gal, and with lots of travel and persistence, became fluent in Norwegian and achieved Norwegian citizenship just a couple years ago. All along since LEC, he's operated his studio in Fairfax doing sound design and voice over production for the video game industry, and in recent years his second studio in Norway, and collaborating with many a pro - in other words, he was a true high end professional. A fond memory is his frequent use of an adult tricycle with trailer, commuting about town (Fairfax), and serving on the town council. He emerged as a leader in the game audio community due to his brilliant grasp of all things technical in our field, along with tremendous creative vision and talent in end product. Laughing almost with every point (or counterpoint) in a kind of easy going 'Viking ho-ho-ho', his warm and jovial personality drew everyone in personally, and we all learned a mint from his kind hearted and generous advice.”   Jory, we were privileged to know you and work with you – you lit up the game community, literally, with friendship, knowledge and camaraderie.

Michael Land:
When Jory came in seeking a job in the LucasArts sound department his unique and special qualities became immediately apparent: in his job interview I asked him about the hacking experience he had listed in his resume (bonus 1). In response he described how one might hack the copy protection in a Mac program, explaining it with such instinctive simplicity and grace (bonus 2), as well as a child-like joy and deep love of technology (bonus 3). Needless to say he got the job. His technical brilliance, humor and good energy are part of why Jory became such a well loved member of the game dev community, but there was much more, things that are harder to put into words, like a sense that he truly felt the magic behind all things, and a sense of kindness and knowingness expressed as a glint in his eye.  Losing him so young is tragic, and he will be deeply missed by many.

Peter McConnell:
There will never be another Jory Prum. To say that he was a computer genius, an award-winning sound designer, mixer and recordist doesn’t come close to describing the effect he had on all those around him, from his adopted hometown in Fairfax, California to his home away from home in Oslo, Norway – on all those in his worldwide community of game developers artists, and musicians. It’s hard to describe his uniquely generous and eternally curious spirit. In 20 years of working with him I can’t count the times he came to my rescue with his expertise and wisdom, going way beyond the call. Entire projects of mine wouldn’t have been possible without him. I think one reason we loved him is that he always wanted everything to be better, better for all of us – better working, better sounding, more artistically excellent – and he clearly saw this as a solvable problem. And I know it will happen – some night not too long from now I’ll run into a tough question, big or small, about the studio I work in and I’ll start the email at two in the morning: “Hey Jory, what do you think about…?” And I’m sure I’m not the only one. Jory, we’ll miss you.

Jesse Harlin:
Jory Prum was the smiling face of Game Audio. He was an ever-present guide, offering help to anyone who needed it in online forums or face to face. Beyond that, he was a truly warm friend to everyone he met. His presence will be greatly missed.

Larry the O:
Jory Prum did things his own way. I doubt he could have done things the way others do even had he tried, which, in my experience, he did not. He loved solving problems, not least because it gave him the chance to share his always-clever solutions with others so that they could raise the quality of their work. The light of his personality cast for a long distance in many directions, and it is already easy to see how things have dimmed just a little in all those places with his loss.

David Levison:
Jory always forged his own path. He challenged and questioned things. He loved to solve problems, whether his own or someone else’s, and he was very giving of his time, energy and knowledge. He truly wanted to help people. He was a great spirit and I will miss his laugh and easy smile.

Scott Looney:
To describe Jory in a few sentences is nearly impossible for me. He was one of the most generous, funny, smart, and giving individuals I met, always ready to share his opinions on any topic. He held extremely high standards for his work, yet would bend over backwards to make sure his team members felt relaxed on the job. He could talk about what interested him and yet never seem like a egomaniac while doing so - In that capacity he was like a walking referral service for everyone or everything he thought was awesome. He was never, ever satisfied with the status quo - many a tech support person or product rep got a severe lecture from him if their products did not meet or exceed his expectations. And he was constantly experimenting, honing his workflow, developing new methods that allowed him to improve his production speed without sacrificing quality. But his love of sharing his curiosity with everybody and his generosity are what stand out the most for me - and they were what made you want to keep coming back for more.

Wilbert Roget:
Nine years ago, while I was still a newbie in the game industry, I met an industry vet at GDC. Jory Prum knew everyone and everyone knew him, yet for some reason he'd still make it a point to spend time with and encourage me, a complete newcomer. My first few years at Lucasarts were a difficult transition; Jory's advice, encouragement and brutal honesty were what got me through it. But the best part about Jory is that my story isn't unique at all - he's been an inspiration to countless folks in the game audio world. I'm eternally grateful for all his years of setting an example for what game audio should be. Rest in peace, friend.

Julian Kwasneski:
Jory was one of those people for whom the mold was broken the instant he entered this life. He was confident with a smile and never backed down from what he believed in. Fortunately for him, he had high standards for quality and it was a rare occasion when one of his arguments met its match.

I've spent countless hours with Jory, through thick and thin and always watched him navigate life's curveballs with ease. He was devoted to his pursuits as well as his family and friends, and leaves behind a hole that is immeasurable. We will miss out on many things due to his absence, but his legacy will live on in the many people he inspired to make the world a better place. And Jory, for what it's worth, there is no Airplane quote for this situation. Rest in peace my friend....

Tim Schafer:
Jory touched many lives with his talent & kindness. From back at LucasArts all the way to Broken Age & Grim Remastered, we couldn't have done it without you, Jory!

Dan Connors:
There are a lot of recording studios that have more recording equipment, more comfortable chairs and are little less funky, but none of them have the humanity, love and soul that StudioJory had. RIP Jory you will be missed.

Kurt Heiden:
I met Jory through Project Bar-BQ and his volunteering time to the work of the IASIG. I was incredibly fortunate he accepted my invitation to meet me in Amsterdam December, 2015 for a whole vacation day and evening of fascinating conversation. This was the most time I spent with Jory and, short as our time there was, I learned he was one of the most fascinating, fun, smart and wonderful people I've ever known. We met as colleagues that day and left as friends, and his memory will live with me forever. I am grateful for his commitment of time to me and to the industry he served so well.

Jared Emerson-Johnson:
Jory was a helper, and a friend. He was so much more of course: a comedian, a computer savant, a musician, an entrepreneur, but what most defined him to me was the way he treated his colleagues—all of his colleagues. He was always there to help with anything ,large or small, when we needed him. And we needed him. He always had the solution, and if he didn't, he'd find it. Jory left a wake of friends everywhere he went. He was endlessly generous in his work and in his personal relationships, and in the end, I believe that is the most any of us can aspire to be. I miss you man.

Dren McDonald:
It feels strange, writing about Jory, this way, for a few reasons:
One: it’s quite difficult to imagine our community without him, but…
Two: I actually didn’t know him as well as many of my friends and colleagues did.

So while that does feel slightly unusual, given the circumstances, I would like to share a story about my last conversation with Jory during GDC 2016, because I think that it offers some real insight about who he was. And I think that’s valuable.

Before GDC began, Rob Bridgett, Damian Kastbauer and I put a very casual online calendar together, with the idea that for GDC first timers and students we would create appointments for them to meet with any of us for 30 minutes during GDC week. Casual conversations to offer advice, stories, answer questions…and to be a contact point for them during the conference. Just another friendly face in the West Hall or at a party etc. We put the calendar online, posted a couple of tweets and didn’t think much of it, apart that we hoped a few people would be interested.

Within the 1st hour all of our appointments were booked.

The 1st person to contact me after the appointments were booked was Jory “I wanna do this too! How can I set this up? This is great, how can I help?” I set him up with his own calendar and I believe that he booked more appointments than anyone else (several other game audio vets chimed in and volunteered as well…it was magnificent!)

Thursday night at GDC many of us had gathered at the ‘death star’ and while I was wandering around looking for someone who had just texted me, I ran into Jory, on a couch by himself, looking like we all did on the eve of day 5 GDC…totally exhausted but with a big perma-grin.

I sat with him and we talked about the success of our little mentoring calendar experiment. We both felt energized from the experience, and he was bursting with ideas and enthusiasm about the next steps. “How can we make this happen all year long? What other online solutions exist to schedule this sort of thing? How can we bring this to schools?”

This was easily the longest and most engaging conversation that we’d ever had. You’d think we would’ve talked about heavy metal, or Unity3D, the Muppets, science fiction, or voice actors we knew, but no, it was about helping others. I left the conversation knowing that we’d have a lot more to talk about as we moved this idea along, and I’m sad that he won’t be on that journey with me.

The very best of our game audio community shares that unselfish spirit, and whenever I see that spirit in others I will think of Jory.

Chris Huelsbeck:
I was hoping for the best after his accident and it seemed there were some promising signs that he would recover, but when I heard the news about his passing, I felt very sad and at a loss for words. I knew Jory not just as a dear and well respected industry colleague, but also as a friend from years of meeting up at GDC and I also never forget the personal tour he gave me of his studio in Fairfax, just north of San Francisco.  He was always fun, extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful and welcoming. And not to forget, he also got me a gig recently (a project he did SFX work for needed a few more musicians / tracks and he suggested to the team to work with me). The world has lost one of the best audio guys, but Jory will always be in our memories!