It won't be a starting city because it clashes with the 2.0 storyline; during that time, Ishgard is already well known for closing its borders to outsiders and it's referenced several times. 2.4 (and maybe beyond) is about Ishgard waking up to the primal threat and possibly working with the other city states to resolve the issues.


You would not have a new character start in Ishgard and then be told they aren't allowed to come back until they reach the 3.0 story.