I feel like it was yesterday that Wilson claimed there is no chance Porcupine Tree will get back together. He was so adamant about it. I wonder what has changed.
The simple answer I think is no matter what happens, a lot of people get nostalgic about things over time and I think SW was very adamant to break off on his own because he wanted to stand on his own legs, but as time has passed, I'm sure he looks back at PT less as an annoyance (People giving PT more attention than his solo stuff) and probably more reverence. For the most part I would say time makes you reflect on things in a more positive way and you might start to miss some things that you didn't realize you would miss a couple of years earlier.
The more cynical part of my brain is looking at this as a smart move to create some interest. I liked The Future Bites but looking around, I feel like the ceiling of praise that album got was "Yeah its good" but a lot fewer people seem extremely optimistic about it compared to HCE or Raven for example. A lot of people didn't care for this direction at all and the people who did weren't really blown away either. I do think SW sees a future in his solo project being something different from what fans want so then it makes sense to push a PT reunion and make an album there. You get to please a big part of your fanbase while also taking some pressure off the solo career and he can still approach the next solo album as a different beast.
I think it's cool SW is doing what he is passionate about but I'd be curious to know how he himself reflects on The Future Bites. At the time of the release there was a lot of those "5/5 His best album yet" quotes by magazines/reviewers but it feels like that hype cloud has evaporated by now. You put this album up next to HCE or Raven for example, or even To the Bone and it doesn't feel it's been nearly as well received or talked about. The album came out this year but you don't hear anyone really talk about it much. Of course it hurt SW that he couldn't take this out on tour, cause maybe some songs will improve a lot live, but I wonder if this experience has humbled him perhaps. It feels like the first album he has put out that even some of the most hardcore fans weren't that hyped about. If so, I get why a PT reunion would be possible.