The Entertainment Software Association sent word today that its ESA Foundation will honor Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot at its “Nite to Unite for Kids” event, which takes place on October 13. Guillemot will be named the 2009 ESA Champion for his contributions to the game industry and his success at Ubisoft. Guillemot created Ubisoft with his four brothers in 1986, and now the publisher is the fourth largest in the U.S.
“Yves saw the potential of computer and video games long before most and worked diligently to translate that vision into reality,” said Michael Gallagher, ESA president and CEO. “His company, whose name is derived from ‘ubiquity’ in reference to their ambition to make games worldwide, has not only achieved that goal but surpassed it.”
Guillemot joins past ESA Champion Honorees like George Lucas, GameStop’s Dan DeMatteo, Electronic Arts’ Bing Gordon, Toys ‘R Us’ Michael Goldstein, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Howard Lincoln, Sega's Isao Ogawa, Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ken Kutaragi and Electronic Boutique’s Jeffery Griffiths.
The annual "Nite to Unite" event has raised more than $11 million for children’s charities since its inception back in 1999. This year it will include a black-tie optional dinner and a live and silent auction at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The "Nite to Unite" co-chairs this year are Robert Bach, president, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft, Kazumi Kitaue, CEO & chairman, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., Dr. Michael Capps, president, Epic Games, Inc. and Bob Picunko, senior vice president, Electronics Games and Interactive Products MTV Networks/MTV Games.
