They did well with it this time.
On ret store you could buy perm weapons that were OP / Meta, Custom printers to make a ton of money, custom classes to get the most OP class, etc
On Aether pretty much everything you buy is purely cosmetic. Not much pay to win, also doesn't favor regulars over new players because there aren't OP perm weapons that new players can't get ahold of. Now everyone can acquire the same weapons and attachments.
Gun play feels very good on Aether, some guns could be buffed for a bigger variety pool but that's about it.