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

Claude Guillemot, one of the five brothers who co-founded Ubisoft in 1986, died on June 19 in a plane crash near La Baule, a commune on France's Atlantic coast. He was 69. A second person aboard the aircraft — identified by multiple reports as a flight instructor — also died in the crash.

The aircraft was a Cessna 421 twin-engine propeller plane. According to La Baule mayor Franck Louvrier, witnesses saw the plane bank and go down while on approach to La Baule-Escoublac Airport, crashing into a field just short of the runway. The crash sparked a fire that burned through several football fields of vegetation, with sixty firefighters and thirty ambulances deployed to the scene. French aviation authorities are expected to open a formal investigation into the cause. Ubisoft confirmed Guillemot's death in a statement: "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."

Claude Guillemot co-founded Ubisoft on March 28, 1986, alongside brothers Christian, Gérard, Michel, and Yves — who still serves as Ubisoft's chairman and CEO. Claude sat on Ubisoft's board and served as Executive Vice President of operations, but his primary role in recent decades was as Chairman and CEO of Guillemot Corporation, the family-controlled hardware company founded in 1985 that owns the Thrustmaster and Hercules brands. The Guillemot family has maintained shareholder control of Ubisoft through its entire history, including at least one attempted hostile takeover. Ubisoft itself has been through a turbulent stretch lately — studio closures in Winnipeg and Belgrade came just this month, following a wave of game cancellations in January 2026 and the creation of Vantage Studios to manage flagship IP like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.

Flags flew at half-mast at La Baule aerodrome on June 20 in tribute to the victims. Geoff Keighley was among those in the industry to publicly share the news. The Guillemot family has been notified, and Ubisoft has indicated it will make no further public statements at this stage.