Existence of a secret master timeline for the Zelda universe confirmed

by Griffin McElroy on Jul 21st 2010 8:30PM

First and foremost, that headline is the most skin-crawlingly nerdy thing we've ever committed to virtual paper, and we write about video games professionally on a daily basis. Moving on.

In an interview with Official Nintendo Magazine (as transcribed by ZeldaDungeon), Eiji Aonuma commented on the placement of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the oft-speculated timeline of the franchise. More notable than the game's positioning was Aonuma's confirmation of an overarching Zelda timeline -- though he explained that it's a "confidential document" to which only "myself, Mr. Miyamoto and the director of the title" have access.

Aonuma revealed that Skyward Sword comes before Ocarina of Time in said timeline, but wouldn't comment on whether it's the first game in the chronological series. He explained, "for us to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting the titles before or after each other," hence the secrecy. That makes sense -- as long as they're all comfortable with the swirling, black morass of insanity that's surfaced due to their reticence.

Via: GoNintendo
Source: ZeldaDungeon

Tags: Eiji-Aonuma, Legend-of-Zelda-2010, nintendo, The-Legend-of-Zelda-Skyward-Sword, timeline, wii, zelda

Reader Comments (86)

I know WW had ocarinas Hyrule castle
and the second game is a direct sequel to the first on NES
although if skyword sword becomes the master sword this game should be one of the first links

I don't like the idea of legend of zelda having an actual timeline. I always thought of them as different versions of the same legend. Sure some of them were connected like OoT and the wind waker, but for the most part almost all of the games were in its own universe.

It makes sense for Zelda to have a timeline. It's heavily story-driven, and as such connects all the games. We got confirmation that the Split-Timeline theory everyone was gabbing about for ages since Ocarina is real, so of course there was always a timeline.

I'm just raeging over the fact that there's now something BEFORE Ocarina of Time. Also, this pretty much confirms that the story will be about the origins of the Master Sword.

@Cena

But Minish Cap is also pre-OoT, and it came out long before Skyward Sword.

@Cena

Aonuma himself laid the foundation for the split timeline theory. I forget when he mentioned it, but quite possibly soon after the release of either OoT or Majora's Mask.

lol at all the people in denial. hahahaha

At this point its unnecessary to try and put a timeline in Zelda. The Castlevania series has an actual timeline and it STILL doesn't matter.

HAHA go back to your nerdery you bunch of NERDS

@Kid Icarus

Whatever, go play Kid Icarus...NERD!

Each Zelda games all occur in different dimensions setting up for an epic "Spiderman Shattered Dimensions" type game for the Wii 2 were all the links must band together and fight a legion on Ganons

I don't think we really need to know about the zelda timeline (if there is one)
it's as simple as this: Ganondorf is a douch so he either tries to steal zelda or destory the world, or maybe he's just ugly and everyone hates him, so you kill him. End of story

Many a scholar waged, and lost, their sanity trying to figure out the chronology of the Hyrule Fantasy.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/angry-video-screwattack/29488

@ChuckBartowski

Don't forget TP is connected too. TP was in the future of OoT's alternate timeline. If you accept WW+PH+ST as being in the OoT timeline, you have to accept TP too.

This has been hinted at already, but to be specific about it:

Link slays Jacob in 2007.

One may exist, possibly, but to even state its existence is to overstate its importance. To build a Zelda game based on any kind of timeline would be completely opposed to the general reasoning behind how Nintendo designs games: based on gameplay elements, and not story.

This is a massive load of bullshit. Nobody would ever make a game thinking, "This series is going to be incredibly long and will feature a ridiculously repetitive and unnecessary storyline to tie all the individual stories together, and I'm not going to tell anyone about this until 20 years from now."

@Jorw
You are misunderstanding. Aonuma isn't saying that Miyamoto created the timeline 20 years ago, and they've been following it to the letter all this time; he simply is stating that there is in fact a structure to the Zelda universe, and that each game belongs.

@TheMichaelJackson
Majora headache?

Do Aonuma, Miyamoto and "the director" all have separate keys that they have to use simultaneously whenever they need to access this document?

The common opinion is that the timeline doesn't matter, but I care a great deal. Maybe it's because I'm a total whore for story and narrative and immersion in a universe. I came a little when I watched the GameTrailers retrospective with their timeline.

If it was up to me, I'd just say each game is a retelling and reinterpretation of a single event by different narrative folks, which explains why sometimes the events in question look like cartoon(as if told to a child) or like hard edged adults(as a tale everyone in the village takes seriously as part of their religious belief. See, that's the LEGEND of Zelda.

@(Unverified) You know what, that's a really cool way to look at it. It's a legend, which means events in the story may be altered by time and perspectives will be changed by the listener. Really interesting theory.

Thanks.

@(Unverified)

You know, that would be absolutely amazing, not to mention an incredibly artistic way to explain the usual similar path of all games, and the different artistic styles.

@(Unverified)

Wow, that's an amazing idea. Especially since a lot of folktales are like that. Our version of an old story can be completely different from those told to children in other countries due to the cultural differences. So that would explain the vast different settings in each game. Cultural differences filling in the blanks.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Don't be silly, every episode of Lost is bad.

I can tie some of the games together (like LttP and LA...and OoT and MM...) but seriously, tie-ing ALL the games together? No point, its like Tenchi Muyo, same characters, slightly different origins...new story, rinse, repeat...with sweet new dungeons/mechanics/art style/etc. As far as I'm concerned, the games I tied together in parenthesis are the only true sequels to each other and the others are seperate series in seperate universes.

Nintendo won't ever truly tie them together unless they made some killer Doctor Who/Link that went and fixed problems in each game in the supposedly tied together series...which sorta sounds fun...anywho, love the series, but don't toy with us, Nintendo, theres not point, we love the darn games already.

@Measlesopolis

Erm he doesn't try to destory the world in any of the games that i can remember, he wants to RULE it , not destroy it.

And there have been many games without zelda, and without him "stealing" her, look at the full plot of twilight princess, might start out a bit like that but changes a lot midgame.

Hopefully at some point they will reveal this timeline, woudl be an interesting read. I always thought oricana of time was the first one as it showed gannondorfs change into ganon.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Jacks tattoo explanation made my brain want to leave me. I still love that show

Why can't they just release it and make us all happy?

I barely even like Zelda, but I know the timeline like any nerd. This game definately takes place post-minish cap, cuz Link has a hat.

I gotta be honest, I don't really see how trying to figure out the Zelda timeline is any geekier than, say, reading the Halo novels and obsessing over that series' canon. Both involve reading deeper (far deeper) into a series' fiction than is necessary to enjoy the games themselves. The only difference, apparently, is that Halo is "cool".

@gatotsu911 Thank you, I thought I was the only one who noticed the hypocrisy.

People people, there is a timeline, face it. You can't say the games' creators are wrong about it >_> No it is almost certain that Zelda didn't start out with a planned timeline, but it began to surface after the 1st Zelda.

Skyward Sword takes place before Ocarina of Time and Ocarina of Time is the origin of Ganon/Gannondorf. New boss for Skyward Sword?

@Roto13
I hope so i though they might have the balls to do it in Twilight Princess but no Zant was being controlled by Ganon hes the big baddie of the game hell i would've even liked it better if Zant was Ganon instead he just gets screwed.

There is no 'master timeline'. That would limit the number of games Nintendo could release and in turn limit the amount of money they can make. Don't you people get it? The whole fuss over a master timeline is futile. There are an infinite number of Links of different time periods as this fantasy dimension has no apparent end. The series will go on and on. Aonuma hasn't revealed anything worthwhile as we don't know whether the Link in Skyward Sword is the same Link as the one in OOT. We don't know when the Zelda timeline begins. Just enjoy the games and stop arguing over such petty things. If there was a logical timeline then Nintendo would have to innovate a lot and we all know they aren't good at that these days.

Hello fellow game nerds,

Please take a look at my Shigeru Miyamoto fan-art at my etsy store. He has raccoon ears!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jcastillo81

Thanks!
Jason

Previous 50 Comments

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Existence of a secret master timeline for the Zelda universe confirmed

Reader Comments (86)

Posted: Jul 21st 2010 8:55PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 21st 2010 8:57PM Sho Minamimoto said

Posted: Jul 21st 2010 9:00PM Cena said

Posted: Jul 21st 2010 9:10PM RogueJedi86 said

Posted: Jul 21st 2010 10:15PM Mr Khan said

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Posted: Jul 21st 2010 9:29PM Measlesopolis said

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Posted: Jul 21st 2010 9:51PM RogueJedi86 said

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