Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot dies in plane crash at 69

One of the five brothers who co-founded Ubisoft and helped shape the company into what it is today, publishing hit titles like Rayman: Legends Retold, the Assassin’s Creed franchise, the Far Cry series, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, has unfortunately died in a plane crash in western France at the age of 69.

According to Reuters, Claude Guillemot lost his life on a Friday afternoon when the twin-engine Cessna 421 on which he was on board crashed in the vicinity of the La Baule aerodrome in the town of La Baule-Escoublac in Loire-Atlantique.

Among the casualties was the owner, operator, and flight instructor of the Cessna 421. According to the local mayor, Franck Louvrier, the plane was descending for a final approach to land when, out of the blue, it turned and went down. The cause of the crash remains unclear, as French authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.

Ubisoft confirmed Claude Guillemot’s death in a statement, saying the company learned “with deep sadness of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the Group and President of Guillemot Corporation, in an accident. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Ubisoft further stated that there would be no additional statements on the matter for now.

Claude Guillemot, along with his brothers Michel, Christian, Gérard, and the current CEO and chairman of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, founded the company together in 1986 in Brittany as a software distribution business. Over the years, it grew into one of the biggest video game publishers in the world, creating hits like Rayman, Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.

Claude Guillemot served on Ubisoft’s executive board as VP of operations. He also remained chairman and CEO of the family’s Guillemot Corporation, which holds their stake in Ubisoft and owns the rights to brands such as Hercules Audio and the premium racing-sim peripheral maker Thrustmaster.

He is survived by his family, which remains deeply tied to the company he helped create in 1986, with the Guillemot family still acting as the major shareholder despite numerous hiccups, studio closures, and layoffs in recent years.