TLDR
The appeal of the open world with survival elements will always have a place in the gaming community. But to reach the larger player base there is a certain set of design principles that must be intentionally pursued in the design and development process.
The 3 pillars
Though for a minority of the audience the simple enjoyment of surviving is enough, to retain a solid demographic your survival game must contain one of these 3 items
Astonishing Tech: Minecraft, No Man's Sky. Though not able to stand on its own entirely presenting something truly remarkable, like a near infinite procedural generating world or a expansive universe with no loading time in between planetary transition, in a manor that is enjoyable, refined, and directed is a sure way to catch peoples eye.
Goals and proper incentives: Don't Starve. The next item that helps to stand out is a directed and focused approach to game design. In the case of don't starve having clears upgrades that you can get and new characters that you are working to unlock as you play its hardcore survival mode.
High content density: Fallout, FarCry, and Tomb Rider. Though often considered to be in a class all of their own, high content density provides an engaging package that appeals to a wide audience. This goal is not usually obtainable by smaller development studios.
Other Things that Help
Listed in no particular order of importance and can be implemented differently based on you game. Please note that a solid design base is still required to produce a top quality game and no amount of additional features can fix lazy or poor initial design.
An interesting twist: Don't Starve, The Forrest. With an open world it is easier then ever to add a mysterious and hidden aspect to your game. If you are trapped in the wilderness then what put you there or are things truly as they seem?
Engaging characters: Fallout. As humans we enjoy interesting characters and understanding how people survive in adverse conditions. Even when not using a whole suit of NPCs and quest, a few well designed characters can help to engage the player. If you are striving for the feeling of isolation then audio logs or journals can be used to great effect in showing the helplessness of a situation (see context)
Carrot on a stick: Tomb Raider. Not to be used exclusively, the carrot on a stick can be used to great effect to encourage progression in the player who sees goals just ahead of them. In the example of Tomb Raider there are artifacts scattered throughout the landscape to encourage exploration and solving more complicated puzzle tombs.
Reliance on solid gameplay: Destiny. No game, no matter how pretty or big, will stand without fun moment by moment gameplay. The time spent in making interesting enemies and weapons that create player choice will always pay off over eye candy content made only to fill space.
Community engagement: More then ever these days a game is defined by their community. It is in your best interest to give them the best tools you can to engage and interact in a meaningful way. Many games, like Day Z, require other players to help you to truly do well; or do best when older players can teach newer players the mechanics and nuances of your game.
Good villain: FarCry being the best example of this, a compelling villain can be a very powerful motivator. Even acting in the background can give more motivation for the player to survive. Some sort of payoff is recommended if the villain is heavily involved in the game.
Engaging story: The Long Dark. Possibly the most resource intensive of the player engagement strategies, a story does not have to use the set piece design of a modern shooter. In The Long Dark a story is told over the radio with the player finding clues to the story around the world.
Unique premises: With some developers banking all they have into this one point, a unique premise is only effective if the game itself is engaging and enjoyable. Be sure to fully utilize interesting gameplay opportunities you can have with a unique premises to insure that you do not end up with a boring reskin of another game.
Meta progression: progression outside of the immediate play session can help create a connection to your game. Unlocking things that a player gains regardless of server, session, or death can help to alleviate "rage quit" and give the player a personal connection to their character.
Context: The mystery of a strange world can be fun, but context through audio logs or suggestive environment can help to sell immersion to the player and make them feel invested in the world they are in.
Summery
In the last section we outlined many of the issues that drive people away from survival games. In this section we have drawn from both triple A and independent titles to discover features that should be added and focused on in the development of survival titles. None of these are golden bullets that will magically make your game better but should be considered to improve wider appeal. You will never make a game that everyone will enjoy. But that fact should never stop you from making the game that you have always wanted to play. Best of Luck in design.
Respectfully,
Gabriel