I'm guessing the game got quite a few tea tables upended since the original comments. I wouldn't be surprised if originally it was going to be a direct sequel to Pikmin 3 that they might have hoped to still release on the Wii U by 2016, but since that system was too far gone, wanted to get it out early in the Switch lifespan. But then when they realized how stacked the Switch 1st year was looking decided there was no rush to get this out right away, and started looking at ways to maybe expand the scope of the game in a way to maybe increase the appeal of the series.
Either way, can't wait to see what they've come up with this time.