The Flash-back: A History of the Adobe Flash Player

It's been a while since the beloved Adobe Flash Player became obsolete. Let's set one thing straight - it wasn't a mere plugin.?

It transformed the world and was essential on the internet. With Adobe Flash’s official retirement on 31 December, 2020, we wanted to pay tribute by exploring the life and death of Adobe Flash Player, and what it has meant to most of us.?

So let's 'Flash' back to the past and get on with our trip down memory lane.

The rise of Adobe Flash on the internet

A series of developments led to the Adobe Flash we knew and loved:?

• 1993 - Charlie Jackson and Jonathan Gay co-founded Futurewave Software Inc. They created SmartSketch, a vector-based drawing application.?
• 1996 - FutureWave launched FutureSplash animator, which blended frame-by-frame animation tools with other features from SmartSketch.?
• 1997 - Macromedia acquired FutureWave and renamed FutureSplash to Macromedia Flash.

The Flash Player let users run interactive experiences on their browsers. Flash games and animations were all the rage on the internet. Who could forget platforms like Miniclip, Armor Games, Kongregate, and Y8? Oh, the hours we’ve spent playing games like Alien Hominid, Line Rider, and Doom!

But Flash wasn’t just fun. Web developers also used it to create navigation buttons, loading animations, and other design elements. Flash was all over the internet!

In 2005, the Flash platform caught the eye of Adobe, which acquired Macromedia for $3.6 billion. Of that amount, $3 billion was set aside for Flash alone.

The Flash Player allowed us to play a dizzying number of web-based games, including ports of classic ones like Doom.

How did Adobe Flash become obsolete?

So how did Adobe Flash, an internet juggernaut of its time, become obsolete? Despite its popularity, Adobe Flash wasn’t without its faults.

Check out our article on LottieFiles, where we cover:

• Steve Job’s thoughts on Flash, and why he didn’t want Adobe Flash on Apple’s mobile ecosystem
• Adobe Flash’s inability to keep up with the mobile era
• Security issues that plagued Adobe Flash
• The eventual phasing out of Adobe Flash

Flash might be gone, but it has shown us how important motion is in creating exceptional user experiences. So thank you, Adobe, Macromedia, and FutureWave, for making this fantastic software. And thank you to all the incredible people who made the fun games and animations that we enjoyed over the years.

About LottieFiles

LottieFiles is the creator platform that unlocks the expressive power of motion. We imagine a world connected through motion where everyone, from the lay person to gamers, creators, and developers, can express themselves and bring their ideas to life.