On February 2, Adobe announced the end of development for Animate (formerly known as Flash), and—shortly afterward—that the software would no longer be installable within a year (three years for certain enterprise licenses).
This decision carries serious consequences for the artists and studios who still rely on this venerable tool for their animated creations. And there are many of them.
This article exists in French / Cet article existe en français.
In the animation industry, numerous series are still produced using Flash, and several feature films are currently in production—or about to start—on this technology. One example is Amélie and the Metaphysics of Tubes, nominated this year for both the César and the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, which was created using Flash.
This announcement suddenly casts doubt not only on the successful completion of some projects, but more importantly on the long-term preservation of their files.
Flash first became widely known in the 1990s as a tool for creating animated and interactive websites. Very quickly, the animation community adopted it to produce films. When Flash disappeared from the web ecosystem about ten years ago, the software was renamed Animate, as the animation industry had become its primary remaining user base.
In recent years, updates had become mostly symbolic, and Adobe’s declining interest in the software was evident. Yet a large community still depends on it.
An Immediate Shockwave
Shortly after the announcement, a wave of outrage spread across the web, even leading to the creation of a petition on change.org.
The animation community suddenly faced a harsh reality: what happens to a project when the tool that created it simply ceases to exist?
For our part, the announcement had a direct impact. We are currently developing tools for an upcoming project based on this software.
The issue is therefore not theoretical—it is concrete, immediate, and operational.
The Responsibility of Software Publishers
This situation raises an increasingly urgent question: the responsibility of software publishers.
At a time when tools can be shut down almost without warning—as happened with the 3D software Softimage—it is not acceptable that the only fallback solutions are either using pirated versions or abandoning years of work entirely.
And ideal alternatives do not always exist.
When a software tool disappears, it often takes with it techniques, habits, workflows, and pipelines that are costly to transfer—and sometimes even entire visual styles, as is the case with Flash/Animate.
What Could We Expect from Software Publishers?
We are not asking every publisher to switch to open-source software—even though we are strong believers in it.
However, when a company decides to discontinue development and support for a piece of software, it would be reasonable to expect at least:
• a final version with no future updates, disconnected from activation servers (DRM-free)
• independence from online services (no activation servers or similar dependencies)
• the ability to open existing files in the future.
Users would then be free to continue working with an unmaintained tool, fully aware of the risks.
A Geopolitical and Economic Dependency
It is also worth remembering that many of these tools—often developed in the United States—can become unusable in Europe or elsewhere through simple political decisions.
The example of Adobe suspending its services in Venezuela following a government decision remains a striking case.
Regardless of how much we pay, nothing guarantees that we will still be able to open our files in a few years—or even in a few months, after a non-backward-compatible update.
This uncertainty is particularly evident with subscription-based models, which have now become the industry standard.
We no longer buy software with a “lifetime” usage right, allowing us to stay on the version that suits us best. Instead, we rent licenses month after month.
In some cases, it even becomes impossible to install older versions, making files incompatible with new releases effectively unusable.
Open Source and Data Longevity
Open-source software is not a miracle solution, but it offers a major advantage: access to the code and the possibility of maintaining the ability to open files over time—as long as the hardware allows it.
The Flash/Animate episode reminds us of something essential: choosing a tool should not depend solely on its current features, but also on our future ability to use the means of production—and to open the works we have already created.
Fortunately, after a global outcry from users and the industry—and even a noticeable impact on its stock price—Adobe reversed course two days later, on Wednesday, February 4, announcing that while the software will no longer receive updates, it will remain available.
… for how long?
