Adobe U-Turns On Plans To Kill Off Adobe Animate

Back in January 2021, Adobe killed off Flash Player, switching off the format that powered two decades of internet animation. The Flash software itself had long ago transformed into Adobe Animate, but it was still very much the end of an era. On February 2, 2026 Adobe announced that it was discontinuing Adobe Animate.

Animators received a very unwelcome and disturbing email in their inboxes. "We're contacting to let you know that Adobe will be discontinuing Adobe Animate on March 1 2026. As an existing Animate user you may continue to use Animate, but please note that technical support will no longer be available after March 1, 2027."

Then comes the real kicker: "Please note that access to your Animate files and project data will end on March 1, 2027. To ensure a smooth transition, we encourage you to export your Animate FLA and XFL files to other formats such as SWF, SVG and MP4 files before this date."

The news came out of nowhere and sent a seismic shock through the industry and community. Hundreds of studios and thousands of independent artists rely on the software, and have done so for more than 25 years.  What was Adobe;s justification for the shutdown? A mealy-mouthed business-speak explanation was the best thay could do. 

"Animate has been a product that has existed for over 25 years and has served its purpose well for creating, nurturing, and developing the animation ecosystem. As technologies evolve, new platforms and paradigms emerge that better serve the needs of the users. Acknowledging this change, we are planning to discontinue supporting Animate.” Speculation online is that it is in fact part of their efforts to double down on A.I., at the expense of everything. It's probably no coincidence that it coincided with an expansion of their Firefly Artificial Intelligence platform.

The news was predictably met with an almighty stink online as users around the world voiced their displeasure. For many people its their career, their livelihood that is at stake. Several key animation figures voiced their displeasure, including David Firth (Salad Fingers) and TomSka.

The backlash was huge, and in a victory for people power, and on Wednesday, Adobe decided to do a U-turn on the discontinuation.  The company said in a post “We are not discontinuing or removing access to Adobe Animate. Animate will continue to be available for both current and new customers, and we will ensure you continue to have access to your content.”

"There is no longer a deadline or date by which Animate will no longer be available."

Adobe now say that Adobe Animate is in "maintenance mode" for all customers. That means that they will continue to support the software and provide security updates and bug fixes, but will no longer be adding new features.

While it's undoubtedly good news that it's not being discontinued, it's far from a perfect solution. The lack of new features is one thing but the whole sordid affair has left a bad taste in a lot of user's mouths. Don't be surprised if a lot of Animate users look for alternatives anyway- and their faith in Adobe has been shaken.

At least- thanks to people making themselves heard- users will be able to continue to access Animate for the foreseeable future.

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