Alrighty then.
Maybe we have different assumptions about what the core gameplay loop is in MnB in general.
My impression is that, at its core, MnB was always a medieval combat game. That's the most prominent thing you're gonna be doing regardless of whether you are roleplaying a civilian character (trader, etc) or a military one.
Trading was always there, however, it was getting you money you couldn't put towards anything. You could buy velvet workshops (what were they called in WB? Don't seem to recall correctly), and if you specifically avoided combat, the only thing you could do with their earnings is to buy more velvet workshops. You could trade salt, allowing you to trade even more salt. Walk around the same route over and over, and if you have 30 mediocre dudes to spook bandits off and no faction allegiance, challenge was non-existent.
And the only money sink was always combat - getting soldiers, paying soldiers, feeding soldiers, buying equipment for yourself and your companions, and then fighting with all that in mind.
Has the core principle of "earn money in some way to grow a stronger party" gone anywhere? Not really. Has combat itself done the same? Not quite.
Trading is definitely not at its final form yet, and in combat, formations are pretty questionable, but the core idea is undeniably the same and currently present.