Claude Guillemot (69), one of the co-founders of Ubisoft and also CEO of Guillemot Corporation, was confirmed dead in a plane crash in La Baule, France yesterday. According to a report by the Ouest-France newspaper, Guillemot's Cessna 421 aircraft took off from Rennes but crashed in an open area.
When rescue teams arrived, the plane was on fire and two victims were confirmed dead at the scene. The plane is believed to have crashed during the landing phase according to witnesses and a statement by the mayor of La Baule, Franck Louvrier.
The deceased led Guillemot Corporation since 1997, the company that manufactures Hercules and Thrustmaster products in more than 140 countries. The company Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A. was founded on March 28, 1986 by Claude with his four other brothers Christian, Gérard, Michel, and Yves. The name Ubi Soft was taken because it is an abbreviation for "Ubiquitous Software".
In the 80s, computer hardware and software in France were more expensive than in the UK. Through Ubi Soft, both were offered at a lower price to the French population. Ubi Soft entered the video game publishing arena in 1986 with Zombi for the Amstrad CPC,
In 2003, Ubi Soft officially changed its name to Ubisoft. The company is known for the popular series Prince of Persia, Rayman, Farcry, The Division, Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed.
