Not sure what you saw...
I've wintered the 4-way mating nucs in a number of configurations. As 4-ways, one story, with four combs each. Or by moving the feeders to the sidewall...As two ways, one story, with eight combs each. As two ways with 16, two story, or 24, three story, combs each.
This year they're all two way, two story. We do the combining on the last catch. One 4-way is made a 2-way and called top. Another is made a 2-way but all queens are caught and it's a bottom. So each circle of eight 4-ways winds up as four doubles. Once all 16 circles are finished for the season, they're moved to the wintering yards....when we can get to it.
Wintering...You can winter the 4-ways. Might get 50% loss or a good deal more. 2-way doubles seems about right. Maybe a 20% loss. some years almost none. 2-way triples limits the number of queens I'm wintering. Loss varies of course. I've had near 100% winter. I've had near 100% not. As long as I have greater than 50%, I can build them up in the spring and have enough brood to re-stock all the 4-ways by the time the first cells are ready.