Claude Guillemot, one of the founders of video game giant Ubisoft, has died in a plane crash in France at the age of 69, according to a report by The New York Times. Ubisoft confirmed his death in a statement on Saturday, saying the company was “deeply saddened” by the loss of its co-founder and chairman of the Guillemot Corporation. The company said its thoughts were with his family and loved ones but did not provide further details about the incident.
French broadcaster ICI reported that a Cessna 421 aircraft crashed shortly before 6 pm on Friday in La Baule, a seaside town in western France. The twin-engine plane was carrying two people, both of whom died in the crash.
According to ICI, witnesses said the aircraft was approaching La Baule airport when it suddenly banked and crashed. The identity of the second passenger has not yet been released.
Claude Guillemot founded Ubisoft with his four brothers in 1986. The company went on to become one of the world’s leading video game publishers, producing popular titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rayman, reported NYT.
The Assassin’s Creed series, first launched in 2007, has attracted more than 200 million players worldwide. Its latest major release, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is set in 16th-century Japan and received praise from critics for its detailed world and historical setting.
French junior minister for artificial intelligence and digital affairs Anne Le Henanff paid tribute to Guillemot on X, writing that the French video game industry had lost “one of its pioneers.”
Le monde du jeu vidéo français perd aujourd’hui l’un de ses pionniers.
C’est avec tristesse que j’apprends le décès de Claude Guillemot, cofondateur d’Ubisoft et grand entrepreneur breton.
Avec ses frères, il a bâti depuis la Bretagne l’un des studios les plus influents au…
— Anne Le Hénanff (@ALehenanff) June 20, 2026
In recent years, Ubisoft has also expanded into film and television projects based on its best-known gaming franchises. The separate Guillemot Corporation continues to manufacture gaming accessories and audio equipment.
Claude Guillemot’s death marks the loss of one of the key figures behind the rise of one of the gaming industry’s most influential companies.
