Automattic is scaling back up its contributions to the WordPress project after stepping back in January, announcing it is “ready to press play again” and will “return fully” to working on WordPress core, Gutenberg, Playground, Openverse, and WordPress.org.

The brief update, published earlier today on Automattic’s blog, follows a highly publicized pause that saw the company slash its Five for the Future contributions from 3,539 hours per week on January 1 to just 45.

“We’ve learned a lot from this pause,” the announcement says, “including a greater awareness of the many ways WordPress is used and how we can shape the future of the web alongside so many passionate contributors.”

Automattic has not said how many contributors it plans to bring back or whether it will restore its previous pledge levels. The update comes just days before WordCamp Europe 2025, where the company says it looks forward to reconnecting with the community and talking “about what’s next for building the future of the web together.”

The move ends a months-long slowdown that began amid Automattic’s legal battle with WP Engine. In January, the company cut its contributions, saying it would match WP Engine’s 45 pledged hours and shift focus to its for-profit products, including WordPress.com, Pressable, WordPress VIP, Jetpack, and WooCommerce.

At the time, Automattic cited the need to “regroup, rethink, and strategically plan how Automatticians can continue contributing in ways that secure the future of WordPress for generations to come.”

In March, Newfold Digital followed suit, reducing its own Five for the Future pledge from 329 hours to just 20.

Automattic hasn’t explained why it’s increasing contributions now, with the WP Engine lawsuit still ongoing and a jury trial scheduled for February 2027.

The company’s pullback caused a ripple effect across the WordPress project, prompting WordPress leadership to shift WordPress to a one-release-per-year schedule and putting core development under strain. The wider community was also left unsure about the future of initiatives like responsive controls — announced during last year’s State of the Word — and collaborative editing and translation, the final two phases on the Gutenberg roadmap.

As of Friday, May 30, Automattic’s Five for the Future landing page shows 76 people contributing 500 hours per week across 16 Make WordPress teams.

Image credit: Automattic.