Adobe will stop selling Creative Suite 6 (CS6) as a perpetual licence via its volume programmes on 30 May, pushing enterprises to Creative Cloud instead.
Adobe unveiled the subscription version of its professional editing suite in 2012, and has since said that CS6 will be the last version sold as a perpetual licence, with anyone wanting updates forced to switch to Creative Cloud.
Now, Adobe has told channel partners they must stop selling perpetual licences from the end of May, as it is ending CS6 volume sales to businesses from that date.
California-based channel partner En Pointe said 30 May would be the final sales date for CS6 for volume licensing programmes, notably the Transactional Licensing Program and Cumulative Licensing Program.
Adobe confirmed that to UK magazine PC Pro, and said the change applies to business and government sales worldwide, except in Japan.
Adobe will keep selling individual CS6 licences via its website for personal or professional use, and continue volume sales of perpetual CS6 licences to schools and universities.
"CS6 products will remain available for individual purchase via electronic download on Adobe.com, as well as via licensing for education customers," the company said.
"Education customers have unique deployment requirements and seasonal purchasing cycles and Adobe is helping schools and universities transition to Creative Cloud," it added.
In its most recent results, Adobe said it had added 405,000 Creative Cloud subscribers in the past quarter, taking the total to 1.84 million at the end of February, and that subscription revenue had topped perpetual licence sales for the first time.
Adobe hasn't said when it will end retail sales of CS6, but CEO Shantanu Narayen said in a conference call after releasing the results that most retail sales of the suite on adobe.com are now of Creative Cloud subscriptions.
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