Honestly I am FOR the gating in FFXIV. It gives a clear sense of character progression and some sense of accomplishment as you progress through the story. Don't get me wrong, I looooove openworld sandbox games but FFXIV is not one and I play other things when I want to roam free.

Also as others have mentioned it allows for the story to be told in a coherent way. I expect Stormblood to be no different.