Specialization was present from the first day of 3.0, way back in June 2015. And the current tier was added after that with 3.05, at the end of July.
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...98c204c6199e5a
Though there wasn't much locked in the beginning, only a few recipes here and there. It changed with 3.1, when all the Sky Pirate gear was spec-locked. So yes, they did deviate and changed their mind after the first batch of 3.0/3.05 (especially combat-wise, with the i180 gear). Also it's not only the relic mats that changed with 3.2, all the 3.0/3.1 recipes lost their specialist lock.