Claude Guillemot, one of the five founders of the game giant Ubisoft and the current CEO of Guillemot Corporation, died tragically in a plane crash in France. About this informs France Info.
The incident happened on Friday, June 19. The Cessna 421 tourist plane, which belonged to 69-year-old Guillaume, fell into a field and instantly caught fire. At the time of the arrival of fire departments, the aircraft was completely engulfed in flames. A pilot was on board with the businessman, who also died. According to preliminary information, Guillaume was on his way to the convention of the La Baule flying club. The reasons and circumstances of the plane crash are currently being investigated.
Claude Guillaume, together with his four brothers – Yves, Michel, Gerard and Christian – founded the Ubisoft company in 1986 in the small French town of Carantoire. Starting as a modest family business distributing computer games, the brothers have grown the company into one of the largest video game publishers in the world. Yves Guillaume, the youngest among the brothers, remains the unchanged CEO of the company practically since its foundation.
Guillaume served on Ubisoft’s board of directors and was actively involved in the management of the company during the creation of its major cult franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rayman and Prince of Persia. In addition, he headed the Guillemot Corporation, a well-known manufacturer of gaming peripherals and hardware under the Hercules and Thrustmaster brands.
Other interesting facts about Claude Guillaume and his family:
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The parents of the Guillaume brothers were engaged in agrarian business and distribution of agricultural products. The experience gained in the family business in trade and logistics became the basis for the brothers for their first commercial projects, in particular the company Guillemot Informatique, founded in 1984. She was engaged in the distribution of computer software and video games.
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Gameloft: In 1999, Michel Guillaume, one of the brothers, founded Gameloft, which became one of the pioneers of the mobile gaming market. It developed as a separate business focused on games for mobile devices and handheld platforms, and was not a division of Ubisoft. Since 2016, Gameloft has been owned by the French media group Vivendi.
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Claude Guillaume was a licensed amateur pilot and had an active interest in aviation. He often participated in aviation club events and took private flights in light business class aircraft, including a Cessna 421.
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