There May Never Be Another Official Zelda Timeline After TOTK

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With all of the changes that makes to the franchise’s famously complex timeline, it seems less likely than ever that there will be a proper update to the official chronology. Both and make nostalgic references to the entirety of the franchise, but this also makes definitively placing them in the series timeline very difficult. Moreover, the story of seems to contradict several aspects of the previously established canon, complicating things even further.

As it stands, Nintendo’s official timeline, released after, splits into three branches, each representing a different outcome of the events of. The Child and Adult Timelines respectively follow a Hyrule in which Link returns from the future to prevent Ganondorf’s plot, and the future version of the kingdom he consequently leaves bereft of a hero. Unusually for a game franchise, the third timeline branch, the Fallen Hero Timeline, also canonizes the possibility of Link’s death in and its consequences. With conflicting references to these timelines, can reside at the end of all three branches concurrently. However, the timeline placement of itself is harder to understand.

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Logically speaking, should simply be considered a sequel to, and consequently succeed the entirety of the franchise in the same way. However, much of the background story and plot established for is entirely new material, and by extension, seems to contradict this interpretation. For example, the Zonai are introduced in as the founders of Hyrule, but this conflicts with the state of affairs shown in, which seems to imply that Hyrule was established by Hylians led by that game’s Link and Zelda. The existence of King Rauru