I don't have Goggle Play Services installed on my phone and am not going to do so.

I understand why companies want their apps in the "Store" for discovery purposes. However, I don't understand why they won't provide an alternative direct download.

I do have F-Droid installed, but I appreciate companies may not want to open source their app. No problem, but I also won't be forced to install Google Play just to obtain it.

The Google Play store is also not accessible in China, an no doubt a few other countries, so it's just sensible to provide an alternative download anyway...