Archive notice: This historical article was originally published in February or March 2020. Dates, statements and links are preserved from the original.After Autodesk had for some time no longer offered perpetual licences, the maintenance offers for all users of the software tools are now also being discontinued – including for Maya and 3ds Max. The change takes effect in May 2021 together with the end of multi-user subscriptions. The old Design & Creation Suites will also no longer be continued. (As a reminder: in the meantime, the issuance of activation codes for more than three editions before the current release is also no longer guaranteed)
Autodesk with a “Trade-in Offer”
The company’s wording sounds positively neutral: it no longer wants to offer the products based on serial numbers, but based on people. To move users away from the old licences, Autodesk offers the following trade-in options: current users with a Maintenance Plan or Multi-User access can exchange one seat for new Standard Subscriptions at the same cost. The wording for Standalone Maintenance Plan (1) and Multi-User subscribers or Network Maintenance Plan (2) is:
1) “At your first renewal before May 7, 2021 you can trade in one seat for one standard subscription at a cost consistent with what you pay today. Renew at an ongoing discount until 2028.”
2) “At your first renewal only, after May 7, 2020 trade in one seat for two standard subscriptions for one named user each at a cost consistent with what you pay today. Renew at an ongoing discount until 2028”
In the event that you reject the exchange, however, Autodesk notes that the prices of the Maintenance and Multi-User plans will initially be increased by a further 20% from 7 May of this year, before they can then no longer be renewed at all one year later, from 7 May 2021. You can find a detailed overview of the offers and transitions here.
Further details and information: To the official announcement and to the FAQ
