Nintendo has officially confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom exist outside of the series' established timeline. This revelation came during a presentation at the Nintendo Live 2024 event in Sydney, Australia, where the company showcased slides detailing "The Legend of Zelda History."
As reported by the news site Vooks, Nintendo's recent disclosure at Nintendo Live 2024 clarified that the events in both Breath of the Wild (BotW) and Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) are not connected to the narratives of previous games in the series. Since its debut in 1987, the Legend of Zelda series has followed the adventures of the hero Link across various timelines. Traditionally, the timeline starts with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and leads into Ocarina of Time, which then splits into multiple branches.
Following Ocarina of Time, the timeline diverges into two main paths: the "Hero is Defeated" timeline, which leads to games like A Link to the Past, and the "Hero is Triumphant" timeline. The latter further branches into the "Child" timeline, encompassing titles such as Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventure, and the "Adult" timeline, which includes The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass.
However, the timeline chart presented at Nintendo Live 2024 placed Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom separate from these established paths, indicating they stand alone and are not directly linked to the events of other Zelda games.
The Zelda franchise’s timeline has long been a subject of fascination and debate among fans due to its intricate and multifaceted nature. The book The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion delves into the cyclical nature of Hyrule's history, suggesting that the repeated cycles of prosperity and decline have blurred the lines between historical fact and legend. As noted in the book, "Hyrule’s recurring periods of prosperity and decline have made it impossible to tell which legends are historical fact and which are mere fairy tale."
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