News · 2026-09-21

OpenAI will remove the Videos API and Sora 2 models on 24 September

OpenAI will remove the Videos API and the listed Sora 2 and Sora 2 Pro models on 24 September 2026, and it has not named a replacement API. The news is operational rather than speculative: applications that rely on those endpoints now need an alternate vendor, an internal migration, or a product decision to remove video generation.

Key facts

• OpenAI’s deprecation table lists a 24 September 2026 removal date.
• The shutdown covers the Videos API, sora-2, sora-2-pro and listed dated snapshots.
• The table gives no recommended replacement.
• OpenAI says affected developers received notice on 24 March, six months ahead of removal.

The feature surface being removed is broader than a single model name. OpenAI’s video-generation guide describes asynchronous generation jobs, polling and webhooks, MP4 downloads, reference images, reusable character assets, extensions, edits, remixes and batch rendering. A developer that built a workflow around /v1/videos has integration work beyond changing one model string: job orchestration, asset storage, output formats, edit semantics and user-visible error handling may all differ elsewhere.

OpenAI’s documentation is unusually clear about the date and unusually silent about the path afterward. The deprecation page says the models and API will be removed; it does not tell developers to replace them with another OpenAI endpoint. That absence is not proof that a successor will never arrive, but it is enough to make an application migration necessary under the announced schedule. In plain terms, this is like a railway operator publishing the final day of a line without naming the bus route that will replace it.

The related Sora discontinuation notice says the consumer web and app experience ended on 26 April and describes a final export route before data associated with Sora use is deleted. It also says purchased ChatGPT/Sora credits can be used for Codex. The page does not offer a distinct, long-term retention guarantee for API-produced assets. Developers should therefore store finished outputs and the metadata needed to reproduce customer work in their own systems; that is a prudent migration measure, not an assertion that OpenAI will delete a specific API asset on a published date.

Kling illustrates the market context without proving a winner. Kuaishou’s Hong Kong exchange filing authorized a subscription framework for Beijing Kling with a maximum US$3 billion amount. The filing does not say a simple completed US$3 billion financing round closed. Kuaishou’s Q2 results say Kling AI generated more than RMB850 million in revenue, up more than 200% year over year.

The counterargument to a dramatic “AI video has failed” framing is straightforward: one API withdrawal does not measure demand or quality. It may reflect product strategy, capacity allocation, safety, economics or a transition not yet documented. But a missing successor is still a concrete developer risk. Teams should inventory endpoint dependencies, download their outputs, map features rather than only model names, and test alternate providers before the cutoff rather than assuming a late reprieve.

Primary source, verified: read the paper →

Ground Truth. (2026, September 21). OpenAI will remove the Videos API and Sora 2 models on 24 September. Ground Truth. https://groundtruth.day/news/openai-videos-api-sora-2-shutdown.html

@misc{groundtruth:openai-videos-api-sora-2-shutdown,
  title  = {OpenAI will remove the Videos API and Sora 2 models on 24 September},
  author = {{Ground Truth}},
  year   = {2026},
  month  = {sep},
  url    = {https://groundtruth.day/news/openai-videos-api-sora-2-shutdown.html}
}

Topics: openai · video-generation · api · deprecation · sora