I’d argue the first two GTA games are more sandbox rather than open world.GTA and GTA 2 are open world. Let's stick with 3D so as to not overcomplicate the conversation.
As for "only Kojima can do it," I believe there has to be the right talent out there, a person or potential duo who truly understand(s) game design and storytelling, but Konami needs to let them cook, like they let Kojima cook. Delta is so standardized in ways that conflict with the original game design. The "legacy" controls are a mess too.