As Adobe increases its investment in AI, the corporate has decided to discontinue its 2D animation software. Adobe Animate. On Monday, Adobe released one update to the corporate's support website and sent emails to existing customers announcing that Adobe Animate could be discontinued on March 1, 2026.
Enterprise customers can proceed to receive technical support through March 1, 2029 to ease the transition. Other customers will receive support until March next yr, the corporate said.
The decision has been made met with Disbelief, disappointment and anger amongst Adobe Animate users concerned concerning the lack of alternatives that mirror Animate's functionality.
A customer, Post on Xbegged Adobe to at the very least release the software as open source as a substitute of abandoning it. Commenters on the thread reacted with fear and said things How “This is absolutely going to destroy my life.” And “What the hell are they doing, literally? Animate is the explanation a majority of Adobe users subscribe in the primary place.
Adobe explained its decision to discontinue this system in a single FAQand said: “Animate is a product that has existed for over 25 years and has served its purpose well in creating, maintaining and developing the animation ecosystem. As technologies evolve, latest platforms and paradigms emerge that higher serve the needs of users. In recognition of this variation, we plan to stop supporting Animate.”
Reading between the lines, it seems like Adobe is saying that Animate not reflects the corporate's current direction, which is now more focused on products that integrate AI technologies.
What's surprising is that Adobe can't even recommend software that may completely replace what customers are losing with Animate. Instead, it says that customers with a Creative Cloud Pro plan can use other Adobe apps to “replace portions of Animate functionality.”
For example, it notes that Adobe After Effects can support complex keyframe animations using the Puppet tool, and Adobe Express might be used for animation effects that might be applied to photos, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements.
There were hints that Adobe was headed on this direction after Animate was ignored at the corporate's annual Adobe Max conference. Additionally, a 2025 version of the software has not been released.
The software will proceed to work for many who have downloaded it, Adobe noted. Adobe normally charged $34.49 per thirty days for the software, but with a 12-month contract, that quantity dropped to $22.99. The annual prepaid plan was available for $263.88.
Some users recommend using other animation programs as a substitute, including Moho animation And Toon Boom Harmony.
TechCrunch has reached out to Adobe for comment. This article will likely be updated if the corporate responds.
