A director's cut is the version of a film (or, by extension, a game or other media) that reflects the creator's preferred final edit, typically produced when the original release was made without the creator holding 'final cut' privilege.
Definition
In public use, a director's cut is the director's preferred version of a film. It functions largely as a marketing term that signals this is the version the creator actually wanted to see made. The word 'cut' operates here as a synecdoche for the whole editing process and its finished product; traditionally films were assembled by physically cutting strips of film and splicing them together.
Context in Gaming
Within gaming, game mechanics, engines, platforms and esports, the term is borrowed from cinema to describe a preferred or definitive version of a title. It typically arises when an original release was produced without the director holding final cut privilege—that is, the creator did not control the edit and disagreed with what shipped.
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