Adobe Animate shutting down as company pivots to AI, leaving animators without direct replacement

Adobe Animate is shutting down as company focuses on AI | TechCrunch

As Adobe ramps up its investments in AI, the company has decided to shut down its 2D animation software, Adobe Animate. On Monday, Adobe issued an update to the company's support site and sent emails to existing customers announcing Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026. Enterprise customers can continue to receive technical support through March 1, 2029, to ease the transition. Other customers will have support through March of next year, the company said. The decision has been met with incredulity, disappointment, and anger among Adobe Animate users, who are concerned about the lack of alternatives that mirror Animate's functionality. One customer, posting on X, pleaded with Adobe to at least open source the software rather than abandon it. Commenters on the thread responded with angst, saying things like "this is legit gonna ruin my life," and "literally what the hell are they doing? animate is the reason a good chunk of adobe users even subscribe in the first place. Adobe explained its decision to discontinue the program in an FAQ, saying, "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." Reading between the lines, it sounds as if Adobe is saying that Animate no longer represents the current direction of the company, which is now more focused on products that incorporate AI technologies. What's surprising is that Adobe can't even recommend software that will fully replace what customers are losing with Animate. Instead, it says customers with a Creative Cloud Pro plan can use other Adobe apps to "replace portions of Animate functionality." For instance, it suggests that Adobe After Effects can support complex keyframe animation using the Puppet tool, and Adobe Express can be used for animation effects that can be applied to photos, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements. There were hints that Adobe was headed in this direction after Animate was ignored at the company's annual Adobe Max conference. Plus, no 2025 version of the software was released. The software will continue to work for those who have it downloaded, Adobe noted. Typically, Adobe charged $34.49 per month for the software, which dropped to $22.99 with a 12-month commitment. The annual prepaid plan was available for $263.88. Some users are recommending other animation programs to use instead, including Moho Animation and Toon Boom Harmony. TechCrunch has reached out to Adobe for comment. This article will be updated if the company responds.

Adobe is killing off one of its popular apps in a likely bid to focus on AI

* Adobe will end Animate support on March 1, 2026; files will be downloadable until March 1, 2027 (2029 for enterprise). * Shutdown risks job losses, lost media, and disrupts studios that rely on Animate. * Adobe cites evolving tech for the shutdown, likely rooted in the company's big AI push. When a creative company creates apps that become an integral part of workflows everywhere, things get a little choppy if it wants to edit, tweak, or even terminate one of its services. Doing so will inevitably change or ruin how businesses do what they do best, and run the risk of damaging the creative company's brand as unreliable. Unfortunately, it seems that Adobe has made the decision to stop supporting its Animate program, and the decision may have been influenced by a shift to AI. 6 discontinued Adobe tools and their modern day alternatives It's a sad day when your favorite app loses support, but there's always an alternative Posts 2 By Ruby Helyer Adobe Animate will shut down on March 1st, 2026 A big blow for the animation industry As spotted by The Verge, Adobe has sent out an email to its Animate users stating that it plans to cut support for the app on March 1st, 2026, giving users a month's warning. Animators can continue to grab their files until March 1st, 2027 (or 2029 for enterprise users), after which, everything will be lost. While Adobe Animate may not be the biggest flagship app under the creative company's belt, it's still a powerhouse for people in 2D animation. This includes the web series Chikn Nuggit, which uses the app to make media, including animated shorts: So, why is Adobe doing this? Well, the good news is that Adobe has added this question to its official FAQ. The bad news is, there's a good chance that AI had a hand in the decision: Why is Adobe discontinuing Animate? 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. While Adobe never names AI specifically in the FAQ, the combination of specifically chosen terms in the explanation, plus the company's recent big push in the AI market, does make it seem plausible that the company wants to make room for more AI tools.

Adobe Animate is shutting down as company focuses on AI - although business years get a slight stay of execution

There isn't a direct replacement - After Effects and Express will cover "portions" Adobe has confirmed it will be discontinuing Adobe Animate with effect from March 1, 2026, citing the rise of newer platforms (read: AI) that "better serve the needs of the users." A multi-stage phaseout will see users still able to access and download their files for one year, or three years for enterprise customers, after which point the service will be fully deprecated and all remaining files will be deleted. "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," the company wrote in a separate support page, suggesting it's time for the now-dated tool to retire. "As technologies evolve, new platforms and paradigms emerge," Adobe wrote, indicating a preference to start from the ground up with newer, more suitable tools rather than trying to shoehorn generative AI into Animate. The decision wasn't a huge shock, given Animate's absence at the last Adobe Max conference and the lack of any meaningful updates in 2025, however users are still unhappy with the retirement plan, with some urging Adobe to open-source the app instead of cut ties entirely. However, there isn't one single tool being pitched as a successor. Instead, Adobe, is guiding customers to its comprehensive (and expensive) Creative Cloud Pro plan, which includes After Effects and Express, to replace "portions" of Animate. Users who still have projects in Adobe Animate that they've forgotten about will have a slightly different experience to download the app, which now resides in the "Show Older Apps (top right, Profile icon > Preferences > Apps > Show Older Apps)" section of the Creative Cloud desktop client.