Adobe's been a driving force behind creative software for decades, and it likes to emphasise how it listens to creatives. Just yesterday, it announced the creation of the new Adobe Creative Collective to keep tabs on how work is changing in multiple fields. Nevertheless, it still has an uncanny knack for upsetting long-time users.
The software giant dropped a bombshell for animators this week when it sent out an email announcing with a month's notice that it would discontinue Adobe Animate from 1 March. Existing users were told they would lose the ability to download their content 12 months later.
This wouldn't be the termination of a minor or experimental product but a historic animation program in the Adobe software list. Formerly Adobe Flash, the program has been around for 30 years and has been used for major TV series and movies. The outcry was so intense that Adobe changed it's mind within 24 hours.
adobe is discontinuing animate. a software i’ve used for 8 years. all of my animations were made using adobe animate!!! pic.twitter.com/GCqszYxbO4February 2, 2026
Adobe Animate is the great survivor of creative apps. It might not be among our top picks of the best animation software, but it's still the program of choice for thousands of artists thanks to its simplicity and versatility for 2D vector animation.
It began life in 1996 as FutureSplash Animator and was soon rebranded as Macromedia Flash after a buyout. Adobe bought Macromedia in 2005 and renamed the program as Adobe Flash Professional to distinguish it from the player, Adobe Flash Player. In 2015, the name was changed to Adobe Animate to remove the association with the Flash format. The Flash Player was retired in 2020.
Some long-time users described the announcement of Animate's demise as being like seeing Flash die a second time following the change to a subscription format as part of Adobe Creative Cloud a decade ago.
On X, one person described the decision as an "industry-killing move". Others pleaded for Adobe to make the software open source if it was no longer willing to maintain support. The makers of the surreal comedy web series Chikn Nuggit warned that the decision would harm jobs and result in the loss of historic creative work.
All made at least partially with Adobe Animate, the program that adobe doesn't think deserves to exist anymore pic.twitter.com/U8XsKcRIIYFebruary 3, 2026
I *just* paid for another year of Adobe and now I get this message Animate (Flash) is going away, and the last 15 years of my work will be inaccessible.I went back to it because Toon Boom is too expensive.i mean it's fine, let's just never own anything ever pic.twitter.com/YnobXIw9F2February 2, 2026
adobe probably killed flash/animate because they couldn't figure out how to add any generative AI bullshit to it, similar to what they've done with the rest of their softwarealthough i am just speculating pic.twitter.com/TPKIvYk35sFebruary 3, 2026
Truly vile that @Adobe are opting to kill Animate/Flash with no contingencies in place for the thousands of animators (including EVERY SINGLE ONE I work with) who are going to lose access to the program they've been mastering for up to 3 decades. This is an industry-killing move.February 2, 2026
I’ve used flash/animate since 2001, and at my job we still rely on it to make stuff. There is absolutely nothing like this software to get something up and running so quickly. @Adobe doesn’t care about artists. https://t.co/10saW1vVgkFebruary 2, 2026
Yoo @Adobe i'll be cancelling my Creative Cloud subscription Every music video and project I've made for the last 15 years was with Adobe Flash/ Animate You are CUCKS 💯 pic.twitter.com/qwCxMFLzuaFebruary 3, 2026
Looking at #AdobeAnimate being terminated is as sad as parting with an old friend. I started playing around with Adobe Flash when I was 6. A timeline⬇️2004Macromedia Flash MX landed with incredible momentum.Me as a little girl: randomly draw on the stage, drag timelines, and… pic.twitter.com/thjEl9mxZjFebruary 3, 2026
I started my career making animations in Adobe Animate (I still call it Flash), and MANY animators out there still use it today for indie and professional works.@Adobe, the best thing to do for us artists/animators is to make this "open-source." Don't kill it, please. pic.twitter.com/QvTpNBA1x0February 3, 2026
Adobe Animate is the program we use to make the show. This decision would not only harm countless jobs in the industry but render so much past creations as lost media.I'm hoping they reverse this decision for the sake of animators everywhere. pic.twitter.com/S2ybtmQWomFebruary 2, 2026
The retirement of creative apps is sometimes inevitable as technology changes, but Animate users were particularly taken aback by Adobe's decision to withdraw support and the ability to download content.
Some were also incensed by the suggestion in the email to consider After Effects or Adobe Express as alternatives, as if the latter's free animation presets are remotely comparable with the tools in Animate.
Telling artists that have been using Adobe Flash/Animate for years to go try out Adobe Express because it has free animation presets is god-tier trolling.Define not understanding your users? THIS. pic.twitter.com/tjj4BpEhTOFebruary 2, 2026
Today, Adobe posted a statement on its website saying: “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. These are changes from what we shared in our original email.
“Adobe Animate is in maintenance mode for all customers. This applies to individual, small business, and enterprise customers. Maintenance mode means we will continue to support the application and provide ongoing security and bug fixes, but we are no longer adding new features. Animate will continue to be available for both new and existing users - we will not be discontinuing or removing access to Adobe Animate.
“We are committed to ensuring Animate users have access to their content regardless if the state of development changes. ”
Writing on Reddit, Adobe's director of community Mike Chambers apologised for the upset caused by the previous email. “What we shared did not meet our standards and caused a lot of confusion and angst within the community,” he said.
“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.”
See below for Creative Cloud prices if you're convinced to give Animate a try now it's a going concern once more. For another animation rescue story, don't miss Ikea x Tiny Chef, and for inspiration check out Sony's GOAT character design secrets.
