Updated on February 5th: After heavy backlash, Adobe has reversed course on its earlier decision to discontinue Animate (spotted by Ars Technica). Animate is now in so-called “maintenance mode” for all customers and “there is no longer a deadline or date by which Animate will no longer be available,” Adobe says. Maintenance mode means Adobe will provide security and bug fixes but no new features, and Animate will remain available to new and existing customers.
Original story on February 3rd: After nearly 30 years of loyal service in one form or another, Adobe announced today that it will discontinue Animate, one of the company’s oldest 2D animation programs.
Adobe says that new customers will no longer be able to download Adobe Animate starting March 1st, 2026. Regular users who already have a license for Animate will continue to have access to download the program and receive technical support until March 1st, 2027. Business customers will have support until March 1st, 2029.
Adobe says Animate is being discontinued because there are now other platforms that better meet users’ needs. The company itself recommends Adobe After Effects and Adobe Express.
Adobe Animate was originally launched in 1996 by Futurewave Software under the name Futuresplash Animator. The program was later acquired by Macromedia that same year and renamed to Macromedia Flash. When Macromedia was acquired by Adobe in 2005, the name was changed to Adobe Flash Professional. The final name change to Adobe Animate took place in 2015 when Adobe began phasing out Flash.
The discontinuation of the program has been met with criticism from animators and game designers, reports PC Gamer. Adobe Animate was used, among other things, to create the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks and is still used to animate many ongoing television series.