Aonuma and Fujibayashi on BotW 's timeline placement.

[Moblinking5000]

Fujibayashi:

"I wouldn't say that we're not concerned with the timeline," Fujibayashi began. "It's obviously something that we know is very important to people, and they do a lot of research on. But I think at this point, we're not really at the stage where we want to talk about where Breath of the Wild is in the timeline. I think, as with the pixelated food [Editor's note: of course I had to ask them what Dubious Food really looks like], it's something that at this point we want to leave up to people's imaginations."

Aonuma:

''"We published a book with the timeline, but we definitely got comments from users saying, 'Is this really accurate? I think this should be this way. It's different,'" Aonuma said. "And history is always kind of imaginative. It's left to the person who writes the book. So that's how we approach it as well. It's not necessarily that we come up with a game and think, 'Oh, this is where it fits in the timeline.' Honestly, lately, we're kind of scared to say exactly where things are in the timeline for that reason. But we like to leave things to the imagination most of the time."

Link to interview:

http://www.gamesradar.com/after-bre...d-in-the-zelda-timeline-heres-what-they-said/

Seems like they still want fans to discuss the placement, and they're keeping it to themselves. (I still think that the end of the DT makes the most sense, personally)

 

[Ryuken]

After looking at several theories and thoughts, I've come to my own conclusion and thoughts about it. I've written about it in the Christmas magazine, but when I get the chance, I want to make a thread on it as well. It'll go more into depth about what I think.

Long story short, I believe BotW's timeline placement is one of two things:
1) The game takes place so far into the future the previous games are regarded as mere "legends" that may or may not have actually happened, meaning its placement doesn't matter.
2) The game takes place in a Unified Timeline where all the games have happened prior to BotW.

 

[Alita the Pun]

i think that your unified timeline thing is pretty accurate here because you see references to a game in every timeline. Windwaker, twilight princess and also multiple games in DT

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

A unified timeline couldn't work. How can a timeline have three different histories? So Hyrule flood but it doesn't and the hero of time defeated ganon but didn't?

 

[Alita the Pun]

Well ninty kinda backed themselves into a corner. They either have to give it a definite place I think the timeline or make it noncanon

 

[YIGAhim]

"We realize that we screwed up, and now that we don't know what to do, we're waiting to see which placement will tick off fans the least"

 

[Ryuken]

A unified timeline couldn't work. How can a timeline have three different histories? So Hyrule flood but it doesn't and the hero of time defeated ganon but didn't?

How can the Leviathans Remains of BotW be found near a volcano, an icy mountain, and a desert if supposedly only one cataclysmic event could have happened in Hyrule? My answer: it wasn't just one. The drought, volcanic eruption, and ice age all had to have happened. This is the same thing happening with the timelines. It shouldn't be possible for Hyrule to have flooded, be invaded by Twilight, or have fallen into ruin at the same time. Yet, here we are.

We might not get a concrete explanation until MUCH later, once Nintendo decides to come up with more lore to answer the questions. For now, I speculate it all has something to do with the Triforce, and therefore something to do with the fact that Zelda bears the mark of the entire Triforce on her hand. The convergence of Courage, Power, and Wisdom could signify the convergence of Adult, Child, and Downfall timelines. Perhaps the goddesses decided that the best way to restore order in the land was to bridge the 3 gaps in time that were created in OoT, thus bringing the timelines together. BotW takes place 10k years after any other game in the series, so this specific event could have been lost to memory. Just my thoughts.

 

[Fierce_Deity]

A unified timeline couldn't work. How can a timeline have three different histories? So Hyrule flood but it doesn't and the hero of time defeated ganon but didn't?

Agreed it couldn't work. To me these timelines are basically parallel universes. 3 different Links, Zeldas, even the pantheon. A unified timeline would have to mesh all these back into one. An in depth story would be required for such. It would make a for a pretty epic game though. Would Nintendo put that much effort into it? Not likely, when 3 different paths gives them more options.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

How can the Leviathans Remains of BotW be found near a volcano, an icy mountain, and a desert if supposedly only one cataclysmic event could have happened in Hyrule? My answer: it wasn't just one. The drought, volcanic eruption, and ice age all had to have happened. This is the same thing happening with the timelines. It shouldn't be possible for Hyrule to have flooded, be invaded by Twilight, or have fallen into ruin at the same time. Yet, here we are.

Volcanoes erupting, ice ages and droughts can all happen at the same time. A flood or invasion can't simultaneously happen and not happen.
Also for all we know the ice age didn't cause that leviathan to die. Maybe they just got old and wandered to those areas to die.

 

[JakeIsSoSpicy]

I think it's up to us to see where we want the timeline to be. I watched the Game Theory on the placement, and I thoroughly believed his theory on the placement.

 

[Ryuken]

Volcanoes erupting, ice ages and droughts can all happen at the same time. A flood or invasion can't simultaneously happen and not happen.
Also for all we know the ice age didn't cause that leviathan to die. Maybe they just got old and wandered to those areas to die.

Well, why can't they happen and not happen? The Wind Waker Rito somehow evolved from Zoras, Hyrule changes every game, and we don't bring those things into question? We have Arbriter's Ground existing at the same time as Mount Daphnes, and Zoras existing next to Rito and Koroks. The goddesses could have bridged the gaps in time to restore and possibly create an entirely new Hyrule, like I speculated when I brought up Zelda bearing the full Triforce. I doubt that the "ice leviathan" just wandered to that location and died considering said location is deep in an ice cave under Hebra Mountains and next to a shrine. There's evidence existing for all the games, and you can't ignore that.

 

[Pen]

Well, why can't they happen and not happen? The Wind Waker Rito somehow evolved from Zoras, Hyrule changes every game, and we don't bring those things into question? We have Arbriter's Ground existing at the same time as Mount Daphnes, and Zoras existing next to Rito and Koroks. The goddesses could have bridged the gaps in time to restore and possibly create an entirely new Hyrule, like I speculated when I brought up Zelda bearing the full Triforce. I doubt that the "ice leviathan" just wandered to that location and died considering said location is deep in an ice cave under Hebra Mountains and next to a shrine. There's evidence existing for all the games, and you can't ignore that.

While I don't wish to discourage theorizing, I hardly see the names of geographic locations as any kind of evidence. In BotW in particular, they are just references and/or Easter eggs. I've always been opposed to the "unified timeline" theories because they make literally no sense, as BWWA also expressed.

 

[Ryuken]

While I don't wish to discourage theorizing, I hardly see the names of geographic locations as any kind of evidence. In BotW in particular, they are just references and/or Easter eggs. I've always been opposed to the "unified timeline" theories because they make literally no sense, as BWWA also expressed.

I understand that. Hyrule does change with every game, after all (though I'd argue the name Arbriter's Ground and it being located in Gerudo Desert is a bit too specific and unique to be dismissed as speculation). However, I've also stated that the Rito, Koroks, and Zora race exist in this game at the same time. Again, I ask why does the unified timeline "make no sense?" I'm asking because a lot of theorizers and debaters I've seen say this a lot despite the races that are clearly present.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

Well, why can't they happen and not happen?

because that's not how history works. an event either did or did not happen. I can either choose to drink water or not. I can't do both simultaneously. I either did or did not.

he Wind Waker Rito somehow evolved from Zoras, Hyrule changes every game, and we don't bring those things into question?

That'll have to be for another thread, but I believe it was explained the Zora became rito because the gods didn't want them in the waters potentially looking for old Hyrule.

Zoras existing next to Rito....

yeah that's how evolution works. the entire population doesn't become the next thing. except in wind waker because as stated before the gods had more of a hand in that. A certain group of Zora's moved out for whatever reason and became rito.

 

[Pen]

Again, I ask why does the unified timeline "make no sense?" I'm asking because a lot of theorizers and debaters I've seen say this a lot despite the races that are clearly present.

It makes no sense because multiple histories would exist in the same reality, and that's just not how time works. If the three timelines united into one, what do the kids learn in history class for example? Do they learn that the Hero of Time defeated Ganon, or that he died trying? Or both? Do you see where the theory is lacking? Also, if the timelines did converge, it must have happened at a certain point in time, right? Let's say someone was alive in two of the timelines, but he lost a hand in one of them. Then at some point the timelines merge. Does this individual have one or two hands after that merge? Or are there two of him all of a sudden? No matter how I look at it I cannot get it to make sense. I'm certain there are many other ways to explain the coexistence of the Rito and the Zora.