Nintendo confirms Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom exist outside the established Zelda timeline. This announcement, made at Nintendo Live 2024 in Sydney, Australia, significantly alters the established canon.
A Separate Branch in Zelda History
Nintendo's presentation showcased a revised Zelda timeline, explicitly placing Breath of the Wild (BotW) and Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) in a separate, unconnected branch. This departs from the previously understood timeline, which branched from Ocarina of Time into the "Hero is Defeated" and "Hero is Triumphant" paths. The latter further divided into "Child" and "Adult" timelines.
The news, reported by Vooks, clarifies that the events of BotW and TotK are independent of all preceding Zelda games. The established timeline, encompassing titles like Skyward Sword, A Link to the Past, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, and Phantom Hourglass, remains intact but now exists separately from the BotW/TotK storyline.
The Cyclical Nature of Hyrule's History
The ambiguity surrounding Hyrule's history, as alluded to in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion, further complicates timeline placement. The book suggests the cyclical nature of Hyrule's rise and fall makes distinguishing fact from legend nearly impossible. This cyclical history contributes to the difficulty in definitively placing BotW and TotK within the established narrative. The games stand apart, forming their own unique narrative arc.
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