Adobe will discontinue its 2D animation software Adobe Animate next month, ending sales of the product on March 1, 2026, the company confirmed in an official end-of-life notice.
In a FAQ published on Adobe’s website, the company said it is pulling the plug on Animate due to the emergence of new platforms “that better serve the needs of the users.” The software will no longer be available for purchase after March 1.
Existing users will retain limited access to their projects for a defined transition period. Individual customers will be able to access and download their files until March 1, 2027, while enterprise customers will have extended access and support until March 1, 2029. After these deadlines, files and services associated with Adobe Animate will no longer be available through Adobe’s systems.
Adobe said the application will remain downloadable for existing users during the access period and that technical support will continue until the respective deadlines. However, no new features or product development will be introduced.
Adobe Animate traces its origins to 1996, when it launched as FutureSplash Animator, a vector-based animation tool developed by FutureWave Software. The product was later acquired by Macromedia and renamed Flash, before Adobe purchased Macromedia in 2005 and rebranded the software as Adobe Flash Professional. In 2015, Adobe renamed the product Adobe Animate as the web moved away from Flash technology.
While Adobe says Creative Cloud Pro users can rely on other tools to replace parts of Animate’s functionality, including Adobe After Effects and Adobe Express, the decision has drawn strong criticism from creators who continue to use the software in professional animation, television production, game development and independent projects.
The shutdown also reflects Adobe’s broader strategic shift toward AI-driven creative tools. Over the past year, the company has expanded AI-powered features across its product suite and invested in its Firefly AI models for media and entertainment workflows.
