Everyone in the room, having read the forthcoming news, probably has that feeling in their stomach that almost signifies a feeling of release but still contains a hint of hesitation and anxiousness. Adobe (News – Alert) has renamed its Flash Professional software to Adobe Animate CC.

Normally, the renaming of any application only signifies some sort of re-branding. In Adobe’s case, however, it could hint at a changing of the guard where, regarding marketing and advertisements, HTML5 and WebGL could finally replace Flash. According to a report on the matter at TechCrunch, Flash will not completely die at the hands of this renaming because the latest Adobe software will still support creation of Flash animations, but it does show the possibility that Flash is on its way out.

With Animate CC, Adobe says it has ushered in a “new era” of Web design and ad creation. Designers who are used to Flash will not need to worry that support for that format will immediately go by the wayside, but they will probably want to hone their skills with the latest and greatest design formats – HTML5, WebGL – to keep up with the times.

Even Adobe is apparently willing to admit to this reality. Although it isn’t laying Flash to rest this very minute, it has put a lot of effort into improving its flagship design product. The new model comes with a number of new brushes and pencils, an updated interface with rotating canvas, and improved support for interacting with audio and changing colors. It also comes with heightened support for working with files stored in the cloud.

Adobe indicated that the release of this new software will arrive in January 2016. Within that announcement, Adobe also provides a link to its sample video where prospective users can see some of the primary benefits and updates available in the new Animate CC.