Step One: Make a new weapon AND a reskin
This is the same amount of work needed to create a weapon and a reskin of that weapon later, but w/ more returns.
Step Two: Announce that the reskin is a reskin of a weapon that WILL come out later, and sell it a ways ahead of time.
The announcement builds hype for the new weapon that will come out and allows for an additional release later.
It also swings the development in a positive direction.
The special weapon will then serve as a beta period of sorts.