The 2D animation application will be unavailable for purchase following March 1st, while current users will have one year to retrieve their files.
The 2D animation application will be unavailable for purchase following March 1st, while current users will have one year to retrieve their files.
Adobe is discontinuing Adobe Animate. In a FAQ found on Adobe’s website, the company indicates it will cease selling the animation software after March 1st, pointing to the rise of new platforms “that better cater to user needs.”
Users can access and download files from Animate until March 1st, 2027 (or March 1st, 2029 for enterprise clients), as they will not be available beyond that date. The app will remain downloadable until those deadlines, and Adobe will continue to provide support throughout that time.
The history of Adobe Animate goes back to 1996, when FutureWave Software released the vector graphics software, initially named FutureSplash Animator, as a tool for creating vector animations. Though Macromedia acquired it later that same year and rebranded it as Flash, Adobe bought the company in 2005 and renamed the application Adobe Flash Professional. In 2015, Adobe announced plans to rebrand the app to Adobe Animate as the web began moving away from Flash.
Although Adobe states that Creative Cloud Pro customers can utilize alternative apps to “substitute parts of Animate functionality,” such as Adobe After Effects or Adobe Express, numerous users who continue to use Animate are upset about its forthcoming discontinuation. The creators of the animated short series Chikn Nuggit posted on X expressing that they still rely on Adobe Animate for the show. “This decision will not only adversely impact many jobs in the industry but also cause so many past works to be considered lost media,” states the post. David Firth, the mind behind Salad Fingers, also mentions he still makes use of the app for his grotesque series.
Megacharlie, a technical artist for Jackbox Games, adds that the application “is utilized in numerous high-budget television cartoon projects, film and animation studios, game studios large and small, not to mention the thousands of indie creators who still utilize it on a daily basis.”
In the last year, Adobe has clearly indicated its focus on AI. The organization has released a variety ofAI-enhanced editing features across its software, as well as introduced an AI audio tool to add soundtracks and voiceovers for videos. Adobe is also developing its own “IP-safe” Firefly AI models intended for the entertainment sector.
