Claude Guillemot, cofounder of Ubisoft and chairman of Guillemot Corp., died at 69 in a plane accident, with a Cessna crashing in a field in western France after departing for its destination. Ubisoft said the company is “deeply saddened,” while the publisher
Claude Guillemot was 69 when a flight he was on ended in a crash in a field in western France.
A Ubisoft Entertainment spokesperson said in a statement that Guillemot. the cofounder of the group and chairman of Guillemot Corp. died in a plane accident. The company said it was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of Claude Guillemot. cofounder of the group and chairman of Guillemot Corp. in an accident.” Ubisoft added: “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further statements will be made at this time.”.
French media reported that a Cessna plane carrying Guillemot and another passenger crashed in a field on Friday evening. ahead of its intended destination in western France. The account of the crash places his death squarely in a moment that was supposed to lead somewhere else—another stretch of travel in a life closely tied to gaming’s global rise.
Guillemot co-founded Ubisoft in 1986 alongside his four brothers to create and sell video games worldwide. Over time. Ubisoft grew into one of the biggest video game publishers over the last four decades. and it still expands today. The company is now led by CEO Yves Guillemot, one of the founding brothers.
Ubisoft’s portfolio built that reach: it is behind “Assassin’s Creed. ” “Just Dance. ” “Rayman. ” “Star Wars: Outlaw. ” “Rainbow Six Siege. ” and “Far Cry.” In recent years. the company has also leaned into TV. film. books. music. and in-real-life experiences with VR systems—pushing beyond traditional game releases even as it remains rooted in the industry it helped shape.
The sequence of facts sits heavy for anyone tracking Ubisoft’s business: a cofounder and chairman is gone, the company’s current leadership remains within the founding family, and Ubisoft continues to operate and expand—now against the backdrop of a sudden, personal loss.
Claude Guillemot Ubisoft Assassin's Creed plane crash Guillemot Corp Yves Guillemot Just Dance video game publisher VR gaming industry
So Ubisoft is just gonna keep making games like nothing happened? Wild.
I don’t even know who this guy is but if he crashed in a field that’s just awful. Plane accidents always feel so random until you read it’s a Cessna.
Wait wasn’t this the dude behind Assassin’s Creed? I thought that was like a whole different company. Also 69 is young… but Cessna in a field sounds like he tried to land or something? Not sure.
This is so sad, but I’m confused—article says “flight he was on ended in a crash” and also says “ahead of its intended destination in western France” so like did they know the destination or not? Ubisoft has like 500 games, maybe they should pause? Idk.