Adobe Is Ruthlessly Killing Off Software That Animators Around The World Are Using Every Day [Update]

Animation program Adobe Animate has been an industry mainstay for decades, having been used everywhere from TV to movies to games. So it's wild that this week, out of nowhere, Adobe announced that they're basically killing it off by ending support for the program.

On a page morbidly-titled "End of Life FAQ", the company writes:

Adobe Animate will no longer be available to download for new customers, beginning March 1, 2026. Enterprise customers can access the application, download their content, and receive technical support until March 1, 2029. For all other customers, technical support, application access, and the ability to download content will be available until March 1, 2027. 

This is not normal! Companies usually make this move when a product has become obsolete, not when it's still in use by millions of people (and tons of popular shows) around the world. And even then, if there was any kind of recognition or awareness for the community/industry making use of something the company no longer wants to invest in, a reasonable expectation would be that Adobe would open source the code.

But of course these are not normal times we're living in; Adobe isn't interested in its traditional business model anymore, because like most tech companies, it's more interested in cramming AI bullshit and subscription programs down our throats instead.

Animation site Cartoon Brew are able to put how disruptive this move is to studios and creators in context, saying:

Animate projects are not static assets. They are complex environments that integrate timelines, bespoke symbols, reusable libraries, scripts, export presets, and countless other factors, often built and refined over years or decades. Exporting files does not preserve that larger environment. This is more than just a case of going out and buying another wrench. The entire toolshed is being demolished.

If you're a user and are now frantically looking for alternatives, this Reddit thread has some good ones.

UPDATE 7:10pm: Following sustained user backlash Adobe has tonight issued a second statement, saying the initial announcement "did not meet our standards and caused a lot of confusion and angst within the community". In response, and contradicting the clear terms and dates laid out in the original post for the program's sunsetting, they now say that Animate is not being killed off, only that further work and support for the program will end. The full statement is below:

Yesterday, Adobe shared an email with Adobe Animate customers on the future of Animate. What we shared did not meet our standards and caused a lot of confusion and angst within the community. On behalf of Adobe, I want to apologize.

While an email to all Animate customers will go out shortly, we wanted to quickly share a few things: 1) our standard approach for applications in maintenance mode, 2) changes to our plans for Adobe Animate and its status, and 3) our commitments to ensuring that you always have access to your content, regardless of the state of development of an application.

Standard Approach for Applications in Maintenance Mode

If we deprioritize active development of an application, our approach is to move that application into maintenance mode with continued support. Under maintenance mode, the application will continue to be available, will continue to receive security and bug fixes, but will not get new features.

If we decide to go a step further and discontinue a product, we will work closely with the community to ensure they have adequate time to plan in order to minimize disruption and will take steps so that the community continues to have long-term access to their content.

Current State of Adobe Animate

Adobe Animate is in maintenance mode. While we are no longer adding new features to Animate, we will continue to support it and provide ongoing security and bug fixes. More importantly, Animate will continue to be available for both new and existing users. This is a change from what we communicated in the email yesterday for the status of Adobe Animate, its time-frame, and availability.

To be clear, we are not discontinuing or removing access to Adobe Animate and it will continue to be available to both existing and new customers.

Commitments for long-term content/file access

For Adobe Animate, our commitment is to work with the community to ensure users continue to have long-term access to their content, regardless of the state of development of the application.

BONUS: Here's Mike Chambers, part of Adobe's community team, on Reddit earlier tonight: