Claude Guillemot, co-founder of Ubisoft and chairman and CEO of Guillemot Corporation, died in a plane crash. He was 69 years old.
Guillemot built Ubisoft from a small distribution company into one of the world's largest video game publishers. The French entrepreneur launched the studio in 1986 with his brothers, eventually overseeing the creation and publication of franchises including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, and Splinter Cell. Under his leadership, Ubisoft expanded across multiple continents and became a dominant force in triple-A game development.
The Guillemot family maintained significant control of Ubisoft through Guillemot Corporation, their holding company. Claude Guillemot's role as chairman and CEO of that entity positioned him at the apex of the company's ownership structure, even after stepping back from day-to-day operations at the publisher itself.
His death marks a major loss for the gaming industry. Guillemot shaped the landscape of modern gaming for nearly four decades, steering Ubisoft through shifts from physical distribution to digital platforms, navigating industry consolidation, and investing in live service models that defined the publisher's strategy in recent years.
The circumstances and details of the crash remain unclear from available reports. Ubisoft and the Guillemot family have not yet issued formal statements regarding his passing.