Does 'Gone Gold' mean the retail version discs are ready to be packaged and shipped?
No, gone gold means that the game has passed certification with all parties and the final build is being sent to manufacturers to create the copies and ship to retailers.
So what does Going Gold really mean? Well, the terminology comes from "back in the day". It used to be that when a game was finished the final versions were put on special gold-colored discs to be sent to the publisher and the term stuck. Nowadays, everything is done digitally... but there is still lots to do. Still, Going Gold is a great achievement. We're really thrilled to be "done" so that now we can get to work.