Google will kill Pixate on October 31

A year after it was acquired by Google, Pixate announced that it will be shuttering its mobile app development products on October 31. The team said it believes it can have a larger impact if it moved “beyond its scope.” While all of its products will be no longer supported, the company will keep its community service operational but without any “direct involvement from our team.”

Launched in 2012, this Y Combinator alumnus provides tools for designers aimed at creating mobile interactions and detailed interactive native prototypes easily without requiring programming skills. “Our mission was to give designers the much-needed ability to create and experiment with complex animated interfaces,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Since then, we’ve been fortunate enough to see Pixate improve the prototyping process for a wide range of teams, bringing life to creative ideas and going beyond what we thought was possible.”

After its acquisition, Pixate said it would be lowering the cost of its Studio product, making it free to use while “dramatically” reducing the cost of its cloud service. It didn’t disclose any information about shuttering. But fast forward to today and Pixate has reversed its decision.

On October 31, Pixate will terminate its cloud service, and users have until then to back up their files and prototypes. Anything remaining starting November 1 will automatically be deleted, including projects and member and billing information. Pixate Studio will also no longer be available for download; those with existing copies will still be able to use the program, but without any official support from the company. Lastly, all direct support will end, either through email, Twitter, or Facebook.

Any applicable refunds will be provided to those cloud customers with remaining credit.

“While Pixate had a large impact on the design world, we feel we can have a much larger impact with the work we’ve started on brand new projects,” the company explained in a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section on its website.