When exactly did Nintendo say that 2020 was going to be some super ultra hype year? I never heard it, and I keep up with news pretty well. It seems like you're mistaking Fatman's own speculations for official Nintendo news, which is a big mistake considering like all the times it ended up being just speculation? Sure, I am expecting a good year in terms of games (heck, ACNH and Xenoblade Definitive Edition are absolutely wonderful for me) but I don't know what this is legitimately trying to say. 2020's direct pattern is a little unorthodox, but as a reminder, 2018 had:
A Direct Mini in January which is similar to the news we've gotten so far (Pokemon, Smash, Animal Crossing)
A General Direct in early March (I'm banking on this if it's not this week)
Just because we haven't seen an actual direct since September doesn't mean we haven't had any news. It's foolish to think that imo. Maybe it hasn't necessarily been catered specifically to everyone, but it's still there. Sure, waiting sucks (so does the whole "do something else" mentality), but it's not like we can force Nintendo to give us news. Like it or not, it's on their own time.
Also, calling it "PR Suicide" doesn't mean a whole lot in the long run. The average consumer isn't probably refreshing Nintendo's Twitter daily, and as a company, they know that. News comes when it comes. And people are gonna buy the games when they come out. Plus, if BOTW2 is coming this holiday, Nintendo's gonna be more than fine.
Back to Geno, 7/8 seems like a good position. It also makes sense if 6 is First Party, since they're being kept secret pretty well. I'd assume that this is why Byleth was secret because all the development is "in house" and minimizes the amount of potential leakers brought on with other companies. And amiibo are also a very good indicator of when DLC is coming, so I'm liking the theories going around with that currently.