So I was thinking about this and I've realised why it is bad. Sure it's good that Ubisoft and other publishers may be able to offer services which allow consumers to get games for less as long as they keep paying (even if not new games). $30 a year for 3-4 games which just more than a year ago cost $60 each is good value. But the problem is the division of services because each publisher wants a piece of the pie.
Now I'm going to compare these new services to ones that already exist for TV. Amazon Prime and Netflix you'd think are the comparable services but they aren't. The services which compare to these are BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD. The reason these compare is because these services, while streaming content, all contain the TV companies programmes and nothing else. While all free, the don't really compete either because they offer completely different things. EA Access, Ubisoft Play or whatever will be the same, they won't compete because their games inside the services will never appear on other services.
If companies start restricting their games, they will no longer appear on services like PS+ or Xbox Live. They will be locked behind individual services because these companies want direct income as opposed to indirect via other services like how PS+ currently works. In time you'll get 5 or 6 subscription services while PS+ and Xbox Live is left with nothing to offer as those publishers won't let them put their games on them.
What these companies needed to do was to allow 2 or more independent companies (like Netflix and Amazon Prime) to create streaming/download services which compete against each other while offering the same thing (like ISPs/Cable TV). Each service offers different value yet also includes some of the same content, games will come and go depending on the current offer or deals in place, just like Netflix. This is a service where there is real value because it means while you can go out and buy a new full price game long before it will appear on these services but then people won't mind paying $5 a month to have an near endless supply of games a little older to play if they want. EA, Ubisoft and co just get a cut of the profits. PS+ and Xbox Live Games will still exist as they work the on the same principle. Everyone wins as we then have the real freedom of choice.
Hmm, pie.
