Cobalt, you know I'm a huge fan (because I was the first ever to know about the Double Secret Fight and shut up yes I was yes I was shut up yes I was SHUT UP), I did just have to bring one thing up; when you asked if ol' Gobby meant: "unless you mean to suggest that all badges requiring a team to work together are inherently exclusive?"
I believe that yes, they did in fact mean that. There are some folks in our very diverse (play-style wise) community who believe that other human beings are akin to having an enflamed genital infection, and avoid them as such at all costs. That *any* sort of accomplishment that would require even the smallest input or interaction with a living, breathing, emotion-having homo sapien would end existence as they know it. With that in mind, those types of folks would absolutely despise and consider exclusive anything (whether it's a zone, a costume piece or a badge) that required human input other than their own.
Which, I mean, is a shame, because algorithms don't work (entirely for free, remember) painstakingly long to create obviously passionate and involved content for us, people do.
Gimme MOAR!