Yes, these rumors are bull. But if Nintendo released several of its key franchises within 3 months of launch (Mario game, Luigi game, Pilotwings, Mario Kart, Smash, and Metroid) it would not hurt them, especially if they intended on focusing on new/original franchises later in the systems life to attract new fans. Besides, even if they did that they would still have Starfox, Fzero, Zelda, Mario Party, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Earthbound, Pikmin, and a bevy of other franchises to pull from for the remainder of the system's life.
Such a move would immediately rally all of their existing fanbase behind them. Nintendo really stumbled with the GC launch. When all of their previous sytems came out they shipped with at least 1 must have title. That really wasn't the case with GC. For me, the GC was the first Nintendo system since the NES that I did not buy at launch.
The launch image defines a system so it is best for Nintendo if they come out with their guns blazing. Releasing the franchises several months apart no longer creates any significant boost in sales, so they might as well "blow their load" at launch and leave a good impression. Afterall, the longer those games are on store shelves, the more they will sell. And the faster they become Player's Choice titles the more attractive their next system will become for people who are on the fence.
