So what do developers really have to do with that? It’s how people choose to play.
You can create a perfectly balanced sandbox type game where you can use any item, any skill, any gameplay element you wish and still have a meta. Even if it everything is equally as strong someone will find a way to sell the idea that something else is stronger for some minute difference in efficiency.
We’re to the point where if skill A and skill B have a 2 frame casting difference where skill B is slower that the commentary is, “Skill B is total trash and should be removed from the game, are the devs stupid, do they not play their own game?”