Claude Guillemot, one of the co-founders of Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry publisher Ubisoft, died in a plane crash on June 19.
The French news network ICI first reported that a twin-engine propeller plane with two people on board crashed while attempting to land at an airport in the French town of La Baule. Both people on board the plane died, and ICI was able to confirm that one of them was Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot. He was 69 years old.
Although Ubisoft’s social media accounts have yet to publicly acknowledge Claude Guillemot’s death, the company told Bloomberg, “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. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further statements will be made at this time.”
Geoff Keighley, who has worked with Ubisoft to feature their games at Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, shared the news on his X account.
In March 1986, Ubisoft was co-founded by five brothers: Christian, Claude, Gerard, Michel, and Yves Guillemot. Yves Guillemot still serves as Ubisoft’s chairman and CEO. As Ubisoft’s statement explained, Claude Guillemot served as the chairman of Guillemot Corporation. That’s another company that the brothers founded, and it owns and operates the Djuced, Hercules Computer Technology, and Thrustmaster brands.
Since its founding, Ubisoft has become one of the industry’s most prolific game publishers, creating franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rayman. In recent years, the company has gone through multiple rounds of restructuring and layoffs, closing internal studios in Winnipeg, Canada and Belgrade, Serbia earlier this month. The Guillemot family retains ownership of Ubisoft to this day.