Ubisoft co-founder, Claude Guillemot, dies in plane accident
Ubisoft confirms one of the five founding Guillemot brothers has passed away
Claude Guillemot, one of the co-founders of Ubisoft, has died in an aircraft crash, the company has confirmed.
Guillemot, 69, co-founded the Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six publisher with his four brothers in 1986. Yves Guillemot is the CEO and chairman of Ubisoft.
Claude was the president and CEO of Guillemot Corporation, a company specializing in equipment and accessories for PCs, mobile devices, and consoles.
On Saturday, Ubisoft confirmed that Claude was involved in a light aircraft crash in La Baule, which left two people dead. On June 19, an aircraft registered to Guillemot crashed in a field near La Baule airport.
Confirming the information to Ouest-France, Ubisoft stated that “it was with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the Group and President of Guillemot Corporation, in an accident. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Ubisoft’s origins began in farming, when the five Guillemot brothers – Christian, Claude, Gérard, Michel, and Yves – helped with agriculture sales, distribution, accounting, and management with their parents in Brittany, France, before university.
After graduating, the brothers diversified to sell other agricultural products, and Claude began by selling CD audio media. Later, the brothers expanded to computers and software, including video games.
Ubi Soft Entertainment was founded by the brothers on March 28, 1986. The name “Ubi Soft” was selected to represent “ubiquitous” software.
