Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot dies in plane crash in France
Guillemot worked largely behind the scenes at the video game giant that published titles like the Assassin’s Creed franchise
Published: 3:37am, 21 Jun 2026
Claude Guillemot, who co-founded French video-game publisher Ubisoft with his brothers in 1986, has died, the company said on Saturday.
“Ubisoft was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the group and chairman of Guillemot Corp, in an accident,” the statement said.
“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further statements will be made at this time,” it added.
Guillemot, 69, died on Friday in a plane crash in La Baule, a resort town on France’s Atlantic coast that was scheduled to host an air show this weekend, newspaper Ouest-France reported.
He was one of two people aboard the twin-engine Cessna 421 plane, the newspaper said. Both passengers died in the incident, Ouest-France said.
Forensic technicians on Saturday examine the wreckage of the Cessna 421 that crashed while approaching La Baule-Escoublac airfield in France. Photo: AP
Forensic technicians on Saturday examine the wreckage of the Cessna 421 that crashed the previous day in La Baule, western France. Photo: AP
Guillemot helped transform Ubisoft from a mail-order software business into one of the world’s largest video game companies, before serving as chair of the family’s hardware arm Guillemot Corporation.
