(VIDEO) Ubisoft Co-Founder Claude Guillemot Dies at 69 in French Plane Crash

Claude Guillemot, one of the five brothers who founded Ubisoft in 1986, has been killed in a plane crash in western France, the video game company confirmed. He was 69.

What Happened

On Friday, June 19, Guillemot was flying in a Cessna 421 twin-engine propeller aircraft that crashed in a field near the La Baule aerodrome in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. The circumstances of the crash are not entirely clear, but two fatalities were confirmed: Guillemot and a flight instructor from Rennes.

According to Ouest-France, the aircraft had departed from Rennes and crashed during its approach to the La Baule aerodrome, killing both passengers on board. The mayor of La Baule, Franck Louvrier, described the moments leading up to the crash. “It was a Cessna 421, a twin-engine propeller, with eight seats… The plane was on approach for the landing phase, when, according to witnesses, it made a turn and crashed,” Louvrier said.

Citing a source close to the investigation, one outlet reported that Guillemot was at the plane’s controls at the time of the crash.

A Delayed Identification Amid a Fire

The identification of the victims was complicated by the severity of the crash itself. Per reports, identification was delayed due to the nature of the crash, with the plane being ablaze when emergency services reached the crash site. According to one report, the aircraft burst into flames upon crashing, setting fire to several football fields’ worth of vegetation.

The scale of the emergency response reflected the severity of the incident. Emergency services launched a major response, deploying 63 firefighters and 29 specialized vehicles to the crash site. One report noted that 60 firefighters and 30 ambulances were mobilized in an attempt to tackle the blaze and search for a potential third victim, although fire and rescue officials stated that the search proved to be “futile.”

Guillemot’s family was informed of the tragic news the evening of the crash, several hours after it occurred.

Guillemot Was the Plane’s Owner

It was explained that Guillemot was the owner of the plane that crashed, and that he was on board with a flight instructor, who also died in the crash. Guillemot was also reported to be a member of the La Baule flying club.

According to multiple reports, Guillemot had been expected in La Baule that weekend for a gathering of more than 100 aircraft, an aviation enthusiasts’ event he was traveling to attend at the time of the crash.

An Investigation Now Underway

French authorities and aviation investigators have opened an inquiry to determine the cause of the crash. As of the most recent reporting, the precise cause of the accident has not been officially determined.

A Tribute From Ubisoft

The company Guillemot helped found nearly four decades ago issued a formal statement confirming his death. “Ubisoft has learned with profound sadness of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the Group and Chairman of Guillemot Corporation, in an accident,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Ubisoft added, noting that “no further communication will be made at this stage.”

Flags Lowered in Tribute

In a further sign of mourning tied to the crash, flags were flown at half-mast at the La Baule aerodrome on June 20, as a tribute to both victims of the accident.

Guillemot’s Role at Ubisoft

Claude was one of five brothers who co-founded Ubisoft in 1986. He started the company alongside Christian, Gérard, Michel, and Yves Guillemot. In company documentation, Ubisoft described Claude’s role: he sat on Ubisoft’s Board and served as Executive Vice-President in charge of operations. “He provides entrepreneurial spirit to the Ubisoft Board, as well as his international experience of Asia, where he lived, and his in-depth knowledge of gaming technologies for PCs, consoles and accessories,” the company’s documentation stated.

At the time of his passing, Claude Guillemot was also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guillemot Corporation, the family-founded company specializing in audio and gaming hardware that predated Ubisoft’s creation.

The Origins of the Guillemot Brothers’ Business Empire

The path that led the five Guillemot brothers to found one of the world’s largest video game publishers began in an entirely different industry. In the early 1980s, the Guillemot family ran a successful agricultural supply business in France’s Brittany region. However, as the five brothers — Claude, Christian, Gérard, Michel, and Yves — returned home from university with business degrees, they sought to diversify into the burgeoning electronics market.

Claude initially experimented with selling audio CDs, but the brothers quickly recognized a much more lucrative frontier in the rapidly expanding home computing market. Realizing that importing hardware and software from the UK and U.S. was incredibly expensive for French consumers, they pooled their resources and established Guillemot Informatique, a mail-order business dedicated to selling affordable computer software and hardware components. By cutting out traditional middlemen, the brothers quickly turned their regional startup into a national success, setting the stage for their eventual leap into video game development and the creation of Ubisoft.

A Company Built on Major Gaming Franchises

In the decades since its inception, Ubisoft has been responsible for numerous hit franchises, including Rayman, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Anno. To gamers, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is perhaps the best-known member of the Guillemot family, but Claude played a vital role in the company’s success throughout its history, overseeing operational functions that helped the publisher grow into one of the largest names in the global video game industry.

With the investigation into the cause of the crash still underway, French aviation authorities are expected to provide further details in the coming days and weeks as the inquiry progresses. Ubisoft has indicated it does not plan further public statements regarding Guillemot’s death at this stage, leaving the company’s earlier tribute as its primary public acknowledgment of the loss of one of its five founding brothers, whose work helped build the foundation of one of the gaming industry’s most influential publishers.