Dirtbag Spencer asks: What makes a definitive edition of a video game definitive? (31:07)
To me Liz’s answer requires a major caveat–they do all have to die, but whoever dies last needs to make some sort of statement on the game being the definitive version and that they are leaving the mortal coil with no regrets. We will be generous and say that anyone who doesn’t speak up before they kick it is satisfied.
As well, no one involved in development should have ever publicly expressed anything negative about the game. Maybe it will be okay if their concerns are very precisely worded and their estate could handle releasing a post mortem patch.
Maybe the only true definitive version of a game would have to conclude with something like the Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in “the Curse of the Flying Hellfish” style tontine where the last developer alive inherits the rights to once and for all truly define what a game was supposed to be? Theoretically if more than one developer is alive they could always end up disagreeing about something.
(this is a roundabout way of saying that I agree with what I think Liz was implying which is that the pursuit of this can get absurd very quickly and is very fun to think about)