(Warning for me getting all autistic, and also spoilers for one of my all time favorite video games)
Honestly, knowing that Metal Gear Solid 2 is Druckmann's favorite game of the PS2 era, that really puts a lot into perspective. I think he tried to do what Kojima did for that sequel with his, and maybe create his own socially relevant, subversive, postmodern, and timeless masterpiece, even down to him stating that he knew it would be divisive, and much like with Raiden for Kojima, he even stated that newcomer Abby was his favorite character. Heck, he even pulled the same stunt with misleading trailers and a protagonist switch early in the game, along with heavy handed morals and philosophizing.
Thing is, I don't really think he understood why MGS2 worked the way it did, only the surface level stuff. Everything in that game was done for much more than just angering the audience and having them "feel something," a defense I see a lot from people trying to defend these sorts of works (it made you feel something, so that makes it good).
The whole point of MGS2 was to toy with and deconstruct the mechanics and nature of video games, the player's interactions with them, hold up a mirror to how these games are indeed, nothing but fiction, how easily one can be manipulated simply by being presented with an enticing scenario, how the digital age can blind us, etc. Plus, despite all the cynicism, it ended on a hopeful and idealistic note, that while what you experienced was entirely controlled, and wasn't real, the memories and experiences you had from it are still valuable, and worth passing on, reflecting the whole "Meme" concept the game is centered upon.
Oh yeah, and it didn't complete disrespect the previous game's hero just to force a new one onto the audience. If anything, Snake was shown in a much better light than before, with Raiden not being framed as someone you should like necessarily, but again, to hold up a mirror to the player and make them wonder about how they, like him, reacted to all the events. Both the indictment by The Patriots and Snake's uplifting last words to him were meant just as much for Raiden as they were for the player, hence the dogtags with your name on it that he wears, and him throwing them off when the game is finished, as he's no longer under your control.
Druckmann it seems, only really was into the surface level details, only liking how the game tricked the player and subverted their expectations, along with how angry it made them feel, as opposed to actually understanding why MGS2 was doing it all, or how it went about it. There's no real usage of the video game medium in a meaningful manner, just as an excuse to get from one cutscene to another. It doesn't its subversion for anything other than player unfulfillment and character destruction, and to cram the extremely obvious message down their throat. A message which is extremely muddied thanks to having both of them (revenge and forgiveness) clashing hard with one another, and is nowhere near as timeless or thought-provoking as Druckmann thinks it is. It's so full of itself and takes itself way too seriously as well, compared to the more lighthearted manner of MGS2, that it ironically comes off more comical.
Someone really needs to hit Druckmann over the head with a copy of Metal Gear Solid 2 and point out to him why it worked, as opposed to what he thought made it what it was.