Call me cynical, but in modern games, going "gold" means that the publisher wants the game out (be it close to a major season, or they think it should be ready). The game is then released, and those that buy it prepare themselves for the multiple (and sometimes massive) patches.

The compilation pack that is released often a year or more later (the "gold edition") IMO is the developers tactictly saying that is when they thought that it was ready for release.