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Ubisoft Co-Founder Claude Guillemot dies in Plane Crash at 69
Claude Guillemot, one of Ubisoft's founding brothers, has died at 69 following a plane crash in western France. The accident occurred near La Baule-Escoublac Airport and remains under investigation. His death comes as the global gaming industry continues to evolve amid changing consumer spending patterns.
Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot dies in plane crash Claude Guillemot, the first child of the five brothers who launched video game developer and publisher Ubisoft, was killed in a plane crash in western France on Tuesday. He was 69.
The accident occurred near the La Baule-Escoublac airport on the French Atlantic coast, and also killed a flight instructor on board the twin-engine Cessna 421 as it approached the facility on June 19th.
It crashed in a field just outside the airport and French authorities have opened an investigation to determine the crash site and the cause of the accident.
The loss of Claude Guillemot means that one of the originators of Ubisoft -which started out as a small software distributing family company- is gone.
Ubisoft now stands as one of the globe’s largest video game publishing companies. Launched by the Guillemot brothers back in 1986, it is the creative power behind titles including ‘Assassin’s Creed’, ‘Far Cry’, ‘Rainbow Six’, ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Rayman’.
Claude Guillemot, A Founding Figure in the European Gaming Industry Although Ubisoft’s chief executive Yves Guillemot became the public face of the corporation over the years, his older brother Claude was a driving force behind the success of the company in its formative stages and later occupied senior positions throughout the Guillemot family business interests, including as Chairman of Guillemot Corporation, the manufacturer of gaming hardware and accessory brands such as Thrustmaster and Hercules.
The French gaming conglomerate, which supplies gaming consoles to a wide variety of vendors, has developed into one of the dominant manufacturers of gaming peripherals worldwide.
Industry Navigates the Changing Gaming Landscape The death of Guillemot occurs in the midst of a difficult but lucrative year for the games industry, which experienced its initial post-pandemic boom last year.
According to Newzoo’s 2025 Global Games Market Report, worldwide revenue from video game sales is projected to exceed US$188.9 Billion by 2025. As of 2024, the world's largest gaming markets by revenue are the U.S., followed by China, with the third largest is Japan.
France has positioned itself as one of the gaming’s leading centres of development within Europe and Australia continues to experience growth within its gaming, esport, and digital entertainment markets. For the financial year ending March 2026, Ubisoft forecasts net bookings of 1.85 billion, placing it among the top-earning European listed games companies in Europe.
Guillemot’s legacy extends far beyond his role at Ubisoft; He helped create the foundations of Guillemot Corporation as an industry leader in high quality audio headsets, flight controls and game accessories.
He was instrumental in building what became a globally influential company, maintaining a connection to family businesses for almost four decades.
“Ubisoft was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Claude Guillemot,” said the company in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones and request that their privacy be respected during this difficult time. We will not be commenting further on this sad event.”
Source: TechCrunch
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