Adobe will discontinue Adobe Animate on March 1, ending over 25 years of 2D animation software development. The company announced the shutdown on Monday, February 2, citing emerging platforms that "better serve the needs of the users."
Enterprise customers retain access and technical support until March 1, 2029. Individual subscribers face a March 1, 2027 cutoff for file downloads and support.
Adobe confirmed existing installations will continue functioning after those dates, though application access terminates when support ends.
The software originated as FutureSplash Animator in 1996 before Macromedia acquired and renamed it Flash. Adobe purchased the company in 2005, rebranding the tool as Adobe Flash Professional. The 2015 transition to Adobe Animate coincided with the web's Flash phase-out.
"has served its purpose well for creating, nurturing, and developing the animation ecosystem."
Adobe's FAQ states Animate. The company suggests Creative Cloud Pro customers use After Effects for complex keyframe animation and Adobe Express for simpler effects.
Animation professionals expressed immediate outrage. Chikn Nuggit creators warned the decision "would not only harm countless jobs in the industry but render so much past creations as lost media." Salad Fingers creator David Firth confirmed he still uses Animate for his series.
Jackbox Games technical artist Megacharlie noted Animate remains essential for "many high-budget television cartoon productions, film and animation studios, game studios big and small, not to mention the 1000s of indie creators who still make use of it daily."
Mewgenics, launching next week from Flash game veterans Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, features animations created entirely in Adobe Animate. The software's distinctive vector animation tools defined early web game aesthetics throughout the late 1990s and 2000s.
Adobe typically charged $34.49 monthly for Animate subscriptions, dropping to $22.99 with annual commitments. The yearly prepaid plan cost $263.88. Users must export FLA and XFL files to SWF, SVG, or MP4 formats before support deadlines.
The shutdown follows Animate's absence from Adobe Max 2025 and no 2025 version release. Adobe has aggressively pursued AI integration across its product line, launching generative AI tools for Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Lightroom while developing "IP-safe" Firefly AI models for entertainment. This aligns with Adobe's broader AI strategy that includes partnerships with companies like Runway.
Industry analysts interpret the move as Adobe prioritizing AI development over legacy animation tools. The company offers no single replacement application, instead recommending workflow splits between After Effects and Express.
Some users advocate open-sourcing Animate rather than abandoning it entirely. Mewgenics designer Tyler Glaiel publicly requested Adobe release the source code. Third-party alternatives include Moho Animation and Toon Boom Harmony.
Adobe's transition plan places Animate in the "Show Older Apps" section of Creative Cloud desktop clients. The company will stop selling new subscriptions March 1, though existing installations remain operational through support periods.
The decision marks Adobe's clearest signal yet that AI represents its primary development focus. Animation professionals now face migration challenges with no direct feature-for-feature replacement available.
