As long as the loot crate system exists with statistical perk star cards, the game just plays like a free to play. I honestly think these responses are a way to stop a public outcry and keep share prices for the company stable. It's contradictory that in that reddit post they believe that the game should make people feel accomplished and proud of their grind yet they present the grind to be reduced significantly (even though they hide the reduction in star credit rewards). It's just all a typical PR stunt in my eyes, which is a real shame