I was a huge fan of the AC series up until AC3 which I couldn't even finish cause I got bored so fast, but seeing what Ubisoft is doing with AC:U, I have quite high hopes for the game. They actually changed things this time around, everything the fans were complaining about. A new button prompt, a dedicated stealth/crouch mode and finally they got rid of the freaking counter, aka instawin button. According to them combat is now a lot more difficult and is seen more as a fail state. Now, I know that all of that is completely irrelevant to the discussion but I just felt like spreading the word, because most people don't even bother checking AC:U out because they think it's just gonna be the same ol' shit, when it's not.
Regarding the topic though, I agree. Milking a series to the point where it's coming out every year shouldn't be the norm. What pisses me off the most though is how most later entries don't even feel like stand alone games anymore, but more like expansion packs. A $60 expansion pack.