End of an era: Adobe Animate is being put to rest after 30 years
After nearly 30 years of loyal service in one form or another, Adobe today announced the discontinuation of Animate, one of the company’s oldest 2D animation programs.
Adobe says new customers will no longer be able to download Adobe Animate starting March 1, 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 1, 2027. Professional customers will receive support until March 1, 2029.
Adobe says Animate is being discontinued because there are now other platforms that better meet user needs. The company itself recommends Adobe After Effects and Adobe Express.
Adobe Animate was initially released in 1996 by Futurewave Software under the name Futuresplash Animator. The program was later acquired by Macromedia that same year and renamed Macromedia Flash. When Macromedia was purchased by Adobe in 2005, the name was changed to Adobe Flash Professional. The final name change to Adobe Animate occurred in 2015, when Adobe began phasing out Flash.
The program’s shutdown was criticized by animators and game designers, PC Gamer reports. 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.
