Claude Guillemot, one of the five brothers who founded Ubisoft in 1986, has tragically died June 19th, 2026 near La Baule, France. According to Ouest-France, Guillemot was in an aircraft that crashed near the aforementioned commune’s aerodrome in western France a bit before 6:00 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST). The twin-engine plane, a Cessna 421 Golden Eagle, departed from its base in Rennes at around 5:20 p.m. CEST for a meeting of more than 100 planes held at La Baule, which Guillemot planned to participate in. Sources close to the investigation have confirmed that there was only one other person in the plane aside from Guillemot, a flight instructor from Rennes who also passed away during the crash.

The distance between Rennes and La Baule, around 65 miles.

Reports indicate that Guillemot was considered an aviation enthusiast: he belonged to the La Baule flying club, he owned a second home near the coastal commune, and was especially attached to the plane involved in the crash. The Cessna 421 is an older model that ceased production at the end of the 1980’s and has been described as difficult to fly and complex to operate by other pilots. Regardless, the plane crashed close to the aerodrome’s runway offset from the landing axis, near several houses in the area. While it has been confirmed that both Guillemot and the instructor were on the plane when it departed from Rennes, the nature of the crash has prevented formal identification of the victims of this tragedy from occurring. Investigations are still ongoing, with the plane’s wreck still in the field where the impact happened near La Bosse, a small hamlet within La Baule.

This is a great loss for the Guillemot family, and the company of Ubisoft as a result. Being a co-founder of the game developer and publisher, Guillemot and his brothers have been responsible for many beloved franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, Rayman, and many more. In documentation from Ubisoft, Guillemot’s most recent role in the company was described as follows:

He sits on Ubisoft’s Board and is 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.

His family was informed of the tragedy a few hours after the crash happened, Guillemot being 69 at the time of the crash. Our thoughts go out to the Guillemot family, and hope the wider gaming community joins in on the giving of condolences.