Clarification on Status and Future of Material Design 3 for WordPress FSE Theme and Community-Driven Development

[Jiwoon-Kim]

Issue Title

Clarification on Status and Future of Material Design 3 for WordPress FSE Theme and Community-Driven Development

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Description

Background:

• Material Design 3 for WordPress FSE Theme:
  • In August 2022, a beta version of the [Material Design for WordPress theme with FSE support](Material Full site editing (beta) #420) was announced. However, since then, there have been no significant updates or official news regarding its development.
• Material Web Components (MWC):
  • According to [MWC Discussion #5642](❗MWC is in maintenance mode material-web#5642) (June 2024), MWC is now in maintenance mode. Google has reassigned its engineers to internal projects, so new features and components are no longer planned, and ongoing support will rely on volunteer contributors.

Motivation:

As a designer and WordPress enthusiast, I was excited about the potential of an official Material Design system integrated into WordPress. The discontinuation (or lack of updates) of the Material Design 3 for WordPress FSE theme feels like a significant loss for the community, especially for non-developers.

Questions and Suggestions:

1. Official Statement:

   • Is there any official statement or roadmap regarding the future of Material Design 3 for WordPress (FSE Theme)?
   • What is the current status and future direction for MWC and related WordPress projects?

2. Community-Driven Development:

   • If Google is no longer actively developing MWC or the WordPress theme, is there a process or support for community-driven development?
   • Are there guidelines for external contributors to take over or fork the project for continued development?

3. Transparency and Communication:

   • It would be helpful to have more transparent communication about the status and future direction of these projects, especially for those who have invested time and interest in them.

Personal Note:

I believe that a community-driven approach could keep these projects alive and even make them more innovative. If there’s a way for the community to step up, I would love to see more guidance or support from the original maintainers.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

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Additional Context

• Relevant Discussions:
  • [Material Design for WordPress FSE (beta) #420](Material Full site editing (beta) #420)
  • [MWC is in maintenance mode #5642](❗MWC is in maintenance mode material-web#5642)
• Related Feedback:
  • I have previously reached out to individuals at the intersection of WordPress and Google, but have not received any official background or roadmap information.

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Looking forward to your response and any updates on the future of these projects.

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Note:

wordpress slack #core-ai
Jiwoon Kim
:한국: 5월 28일 오전 2:34
Hello Felix Arntz
@flixos90
,
Congratulations on leading the new AI team — wishing you and the team all the best.
To be honest, I’ve always hoped for a chance to reach out to someone at the intersection of WordPress and Google. I have a question I’ve been wanting to ask, although it’s not AI-related and I’m not sure if it’s something you’d be able to answer.
I’ve long been curious why the Material Design 3 for WordPress FSE theme project was discontinued.
As a non-developer designer, it felt like a huge loss — it was a rare opportunity for people like me to adopt a modern, official design system within WordPress. It could have been a disruptive innovation for users and the existing classic premium theme market.
If you happen to know anything about the background or could point me to someone who might, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you!

flixos90
5월 28일 오전 2:37
Hey there, since this is off-topic, ideally this would be in a DM or a more contextually relevant team channel :미소짓는_얼굴:
FWIW though, I unfortunately don't have any context on these projects. Of course Google is a massive company, and I don't know who was spearheading or maintaining these efforts. Sorry, but I'm not sure I can help you here. If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out via DM.

Jiwoon Kim
:한국: 5월 28일 오전 3:01
@flixos90
Thanks so much for your reply, and no worries — I completely understand.
If I ever get closer to finding the right person on that project, I'll be sure to reach out. Appreciate you taking the time to respond!