There is a Zelda timeline… but Nintendo of Japan doesn’t want you to see it
The Zelda timeline has been a topic of great debate over the years, mostly due to the fact that Nintendo has never shared anything formally. As a result, gamers have been left to discuss the appropriate order of the titles. Fans have created a few theories of their own, though it’s interesting to note that there is an official timeline. The thing is, Nintendo of Japan doesn’t want you to see it.
Nintendo of America’s Dan Owsen revealed in a recent interview that he, along with other staff, developed a timeline and were interested in publishing it online. After approaching the company’s Japanese division, however, they were discouraged from releasing it and were told that there is actually an official timeline. It sounds like Nintendo would like series followers to come up with their own interpretation of the franchise’s chronology.
“You know, at one point we had drafted a timeline and wanted to make it available online. We showed it to the guys in Japan and they basically told us that it would be best if we didn’t post it. They do have a timeline that has continuity between the games but they wanted to keep it open for how each player views the chronology of the series. There are a lot of connections between the games, but they do have a timeline that has continuity. It’s up to the player to place all the pieces together.
I wouldn’t call it a disconnect [with the developers from Japan]. Just that the developers feel that posting a full narrative would take away from the players’ imagination. Part of what makes the series so special is the legend that spans across the series and they wanted to preserve that in the players’ vision. It’s also why they have never given Link a voice. The story is told as if the player is Link. Giving him a voice would eliminate that attachment.”
