Ubisoft Co-Founder Claude Guillemot Dies In Plane Crash

Claude Guillemot, co-founder of Ubisoft, died in a plane crash in France on June 20, 2026. He was piloting a Cessna 421 twin-engine aircraft when it went down near La Baule, close to his vacation home. His flight instructor also perished in the accident. Guillemot was 69 years old and was known for co-creating Ubisoft, significant for popular game franchises such as Assassin’s Creed and Rayman. He had recently handed over daily operations of Guillemot Corporation to his son but remained involved as Chairman and was on Ubisoft's board. His death occurs ahead of a critical game release for Ubisoft, which is looking to improve its financial struggles.

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By Melanie Goodfellow

Melanie Goodfellow

Senior International Film Correspondent

@mel_goodfellow

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The entrepreneur and businessman and the unnamed plane instructor had reportedly set off from the city of Rennes for La Baule on Friday afternoon for the Fly In La Baule meeting gathering light airplane enthusiasts.

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Claude Guillemot, who was 69, co-created video games specialist Ubisoft with brothers Michel, Yves, Gérard and Christian in their hometown of Carentoir in Brittany in 1986.

Kicking off with early games Zombi, Iron Lord, it steadily grew into one of the most influential game makers in the world with titles Assassin’s Creed, Rayman, Driver, Rabbids, Tom Clancy’s, and Watch Dogs.

He also led on the development of their other joint company Guillemot Corporation, specialized in gaming accessories and digital audio technology, which was created prior to Ubisoft in 1984.

In 2000, the brothers also formed Gameloft, which would go on to become a major player in downloadable video games for smartphones.

Claude Guillemot handed the day-to-day running of Guillemot Corporation to his son Valentin Guillemot in July 2025, appointing him CEO, but remained attached to the company in the role Chairman of the Board of Director and continued to guide its overall direction.

Over at Ubisoft, which is headed by brother Yves Guillemot, Claude Guillemot was on the board under the title of Deputy Chief Executive Officer but was not part of the day-to-day leadership team.

Claude Guillemot’s death comes as Ubisoft gears up for the release of its reboot Black Flag Resynced on July 9, which it hopes will reset the company’s fortunes after a number of difficult years financially in which the popularity of its games has waned.