Ubisoft said that its major new subsidiary will be led by Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot as co-CEOs.
The company said Derennes and Guillemot bring strong industry expertise, deep knowledge of the Ubisoft ecosystem, and a shared culture of innovation.
Ubisoft formed the subsidiary with its core game franchises on March 27 as part of a way to bring $1.25 billion in investment into the French game publisher from Tencent. The operating division includes the core games Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six brands.
Derennes has been with Ubisoft for over 35 years. He brings operational and production leadership, having launched and led the Montreal studio. He also played a key role in shaping the editorial and production strategy across major titles, and most recently served as managing director for North America.
Charlie Guillemot, who is part of the Guillemot founding family (led by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot) has built a hybrid career at the intersection of management and innovation.
He brings an entrepreneurial perspective and a sharp understanding of evolving industry dynamics and players’ expectations, shaped by his experience in game development. With a strong product mindset, deep tech culture, and a passion for games, he represents a new generation of leadership focused on innovation, quality, and putting players at the centre of decision-making.
Together, they will lead the subsidiary in building evergreen, multi-platform game ecosystems and writing the next chapter of Ubisoft’s renowned franchises.
Created to accelerate the growth of three of Ubisoft’s most iconic franchises – Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry – the company’s new subsidiary will focus on building brand ecosystems capable of becoming evergreen, billion-euro franchises.
Backed by growing investments and Tencent’s expertise as a core strategic partner, it will give development teams greater autonomy and agility to fully unlock the potential of these iconic games, while shaping the next generation of player experiences.
The creation of the new subsidiary is progressing well. Tencent’s investment in the new subsidiary, which is subject to regulatory approvals, continues to be expected by the end of 2025.
Derennes joined Ubisoft in 1990 and has been involved in every major stage of its development. He co-founded Ubisoft Montreal in 1997 and helped structure the group’s quality control functions. As executive vice president of production, he oversaw the development of numerous successful games. Appointed general manager of the Montreal studio in 2020, he took over as head of the North American studios in 2023. His management style is focused on listening, proximity and collaboration, Ubisoft said.
As both a gamer and technology enthusiast, Charlie Guillemot began his career in gaming at Owlient, a studio acquired by Ubisoft. In 2014, he took on co-leadership of the 35-person studio, then known for its browser-based free-to-play games. Under his guidance, the studio shifted its focus toward mobile.
Driven by a desire to explore new creative ground in the gaming space, in 2021, he co-founded Unagi, an independent game studio leveraging Web3 technologies where he gained first-hand insight into the rapidly evolving games market and the deeper transformations underway in the industry.
Charlie’s perspective on game creation is grounded in a few core principles: putting gameplay first, leveraging collective intelligence, pushing the envelope on quality and meeting players’ expectations, and infusing a genuine passion for games in the decision-making process.
Returning to Ubisoft in 2025 to join its internal transformation committee, Charlie Guillemot has brought a fresh perspective, in-depth knowledge of the industry and a commitment to combining innovation with a player-first mindset.