It doesn't really matter if they remove it or not. Perceptions are what matter. People will be able to upload videos that are disconnected from what most people believe or actually want and there's no way to show that you don't agree with the video. And I begin to believe its me that's wrong, when I might be in the silent majority. Then YT can control the algorithm further obfuscating popular beliefs and culture.
They have been steadily moving towards recommendation engines that rely more on inferred behaviors than direct feedback for a long time. I'm surprised they didn't just completely eliminate dislikes.
That aside, timing sure is interesting given the recent Nintendo fiasco. Wonder how much they spend on ads each quarter.
It's probably not so much about Nintendo specifically as one advertising partner, as much as it is about encouraging the advertiser ecosystem to be comfortable with continually spending money on Youtube as a platform.
If Youtube removes dislikes, there is less risk for these viral "dislike" moments to happen, which can make content producers and advertisers nervous.
Additionally, Google probably puts way more resources than you might expect into things like moderating the usage of the dislike button and making sure it isn't exploited by bots, nefarious actors, etc.
Not much downside from the business side of Youtube in taking steps to sunset the button.
