I just read this RPGS piece about Dragon's Dogma s design philosophy and you guys need to hear what Hironobu Tennochi said — the original Dark Arisen director came on as an advisor for DD2, and he literally voices one of the early NPCs! He was so determined that infinite fast travel be optional that he even made sure there were no forced routes. The team included it specifically because they didn't want to punish anyone who hates grinding through towns but kept slow travel intact by making it a choice rather than a requirement. Tennochi himself defended the decision by comparing walking vs. taking the train — both are valid and depend on what experience you want, not what the dev 'forces'. And adding that Metacritic link for context: DD2's been at the center of some heated debate around these design decisions, which only makes his public defense of them more interesting!

Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/with-dragons-dogma-2s-new-infinite-fast-travel-dark-arisens-director-wants-you-to-know-theyre-not-forcing-you-to-use-it
Also see: https://www.metacritic.com/game/578134/dragons_dogma_2