Saints Rows 2-4 and Sleeping Dogs are the exceptions, not the rule. Most GTA clones from 6th generation (don't even get me started on the non-sandbox GTA clones) were and are still total garbage. The ones from 7th generation aren't much better either. Not to mention, you can only gritty crime sandbox before it gets just as stale as your standard brown and grey cover shooter. Not to forget, but Saints Row died when Agents of Mayhem happeened and then that horrible reboot. Even the great clones can't last forever or eventually with and died, when some big corp buys IP and fills it with things on what they think people want, but not at all. If most of the competition is shit or can't keep up each time, then it's pointless to start that cycle all over again.
Yes and no. Yes, as in we can't just blindly imitate it and hope for success. No, because most developers doing the good open world games at least go their own and do their own thing. Either having different workable gimmicks, or be about something else entirely. Arkham City, Ghost of Tsushima, Infamous, Prototype, both Horizon titles, Days Gone, and all of the PS4 Spider-Man games carved out their own niche, and most became successful for it or are still on-going. It's called having variety and being different for the right reasons. Even the new upcoming Mafia game is not open world, but it has open-ended design and linearity with a strong focus on narrative and is a period piece. I am more excited for that, than GTAVI.
