[voltagex_]

I wonder if it's possible to build an emulator image based on CyanogenMod with no Play Services. That'd help with testing the apps, but it's another "device" to target.

Developers would be able to see from the crash reports how many NPEs from missing Play Services they're getting and prioritise accordingly.

[vetinari]

Not only it's possible, it is supported out of the box. When you are configuring the emulator, you are choosing the OS version (API level). You have to choose, whether you want "Android" or "Google API".