Several French media, including Ouest-France, have reported that Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot has died in a plane crash. The plane crash happened on Friday, June 19, in Western France, near La Baule.
According to reports, he was piloting a Cessna 421 with a flight instructor. The plane crashed while approaching the local airfield. The circumstances leading to the crash remain unclear. However, the families of the two victims involved in the crash were confirmed.
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The plane, owned by Guillemot, was in flames when emergency services arrived. Claude founded Ubisoft with his brothers (Christian, Gerard, Michel, and Yves) in 1986 and continues to sit on the company’s board till his death.
Guillemot family portrait
“He sits on Ubisoft’s Board and is Executive Vice-President in charge of operations,” is how Claude was described in the company documentation. “He provides entrepreneurial spirit to the Ubisoft Board, as well as his international experience of Asia, where he lived, and his in-depth knowledge of gaming technologies for PCs, consoles and accessories.”
Claude was 69 at the time of death, having been born in 1956. He helped to transform Ubisoft from a small French company into a gaming mammoth. He also led Guillemot Corporation, the company behind Thrustmaster gaming accessories and Hercules audio products.
Some of his legacies include Anno, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, The Division, and Watch Dogs. These titles continue to entertain generations of gamers across the globe.
Our thoughts are with the Guillemot family and the Ubisoft community in this time of grief.
