Timeline Revealed?

[gravendoom75]

have you guys seen this yet? i...i dont know what to say...

http://www.newnintendo.net/blog/2011/12/18/hyrule-historia-reveals-zelda-timeline/

 

[blackenedktulu]

I posted about it earlier, it got removed, and is now part of the discussion on the Hyrule Historia.. But yeah, I just can't believe that they're actually releasing it.

 

[gravendoom75]

i think this may be foreshadowing an end to zelda

 

[TwilightKing]

Nooooooo.. Why why would they stop Zelda... I mean seriously, why, it's one of Nintendo's most successful franchises ever??

 

[gravendoom75]

well you see... if they put the timeline out then they may need to center the games around the timeline and eventually... they might run out of room to put zelda games

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

Well, I think this is not the end of The Legend of Zelda. I think it's the end of the Timeline. It's time for changes. Time for a new legend. Maybe the next 3DS game will finish this era. Those thoughts creating a bit of an melancholic mood. But also, there will be a new Romance Dawn.

 

[gravendoom75]

this might sound crazy... but what about a game with a new hero... someone who is not link. not a game with zelda as the main character but somone that nintendo has never seen before

 

[JuicieJ]

I don't think this is going to be a final timeline. That goes against what Aonuma has been doing, which is not setting a set pattern so that they don't force themselves to write certain stories. Keeping it open is what allows them to create original stories. I'm thinking this is going to be more of a guideline timeline. The one that they have as a basis for their plans in the future.

 

[SilentLink]

not going to be a timeline of games. like its not going to say OoT comes before Alttp and The FSS comes in between. its probably going to be a timeline of events within the zelda universe. Like, the goddesses created the earth, then the great war against demise happened, demise was killed, next Hyrule is formed, etc...

 

[Locke]

If that's the secret timeline document, this would be a huge slap in the face for NoA, after...

Dan Owsen: 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.

Mases Hagopian: So there seems to be a disconnect between you guys (Nintendo of America) and the developers in Japan.

Dan Owsen: I wouldn't call it a disconnect. 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.

tl;dr:

NoA: We're gonna publish our timeline.
Nintendo: No, that wouldn't be right... it'd take away from the fans' imagination.
NoA: Aw alright, that makes sense.
Nintendo: We're gonna publish our timeline.

From that translation though, it seems like they're only including the games that have already had official placements. If this is to be considered canon, it would only fill in some gaps between what we already knew -- fix some contradictions perhaps. But even that is a bad move, for the reason that JuicieJ pointed out and I gathered Aonuma believed in. Think, if they had fully elaborated on OoT's story in text form, how difficult it would have been to write SS. They would have detailed how the Sages created the Master Sword and built the Temple of Time, how the Triforce rested in the Sacred Realm until Ganondorf stole it in OoT... SS came in and contradicted these, which is only possible with a creatively flexible timeline. If documented, it becomes rigid and prescribes future stories, limiting creativity.

 

[Nazz]

I guess it's good that there's a timeline revealed.

 

[Dio]

Well it's probably a good thing that we will finally know the true timeline. I wonder how different it will be to what I originally thought.

 

[Blue Window]

There is no saying that this timeline have to cover all the games and give arguments for each and every placement. It is fairly likely that it only deals with the main, 3D-games, i.e. SS, OoT, MM, TP, WW (and PH and ST). By once and for all explaining the split timeline, Nintendo can put an end to the linear timelines and single Link timelines still circulating around. This way, Aonuma and Miyamoto can keep the timeline secret, but still gather all the bits and pieces already given away so that people can see it clearly.

/Blue Window

 

[Dillyne]

I'll cry if The Legend of Zelda ever ends for sure, they have made 26 games right?

 

[Alishia]

That's the Hyrulian History. Maybe there will be a Pre-Skyward Sword game that will explain the story of Hylia and the world before Skyloft was raised to the air.
And maybe a story that takes place during the Hyrulian Civil War?

I just can't imagine they would let the franchise die!!! Don't kill of Link!! It will make him sad, see? --->