Eiji Aonuma isn’t worried about the “chronology” of the Zelda franchise

The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has revealed he doesn’t put much stock in the series’ timeline because it limits future titles.

For years, fans of The Legend of Zelda franchise were unsure of how the series fit together, as some titles were clearly direct sequels, while others didn’t fit at all, leading to speculation about multiverses, different timelines, and no timeline at all.

In the end, Nintendo finally clarified that the Zelda franchise has a branching timeline, starting with the end of Ocarina of Time, where three continuities were created, one by Link’s death, one by Link remaining in Hyrule, and one by Link being sent back in time to live out his childhood.

Despite this clarification, the Zelda timeline has only ever been important for direct sequels, like Tears of the Kingdom to Breath of the Wild. It seems that it might be even less important going forward, especially under the series’ current stewardship.

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Eiji Aonuma isn’t concerned with following The Legend of Zelda timeline

In a recent interview with IGN, famed Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma gave his opinion of the series’ timeline. Those invested in the long-running history of Hyrule might be disappointed to learn that it’s not hugely important to his vision for the series.

“Personally, I don’t like to put too much stock in the chronology of the series,” Aonuma said, “Because from the design perspective, that can kind of box us in and limit where we’re able to take the story as we continue making games in the series.”

It seems that The Legend of Zelda timeline will continue to be the domain of the fans, as Aonuma also said, “And so I do think it’s something that is best for people to interpret on their own.”

This approach makes sense, as it means the storyline of previous titles won’t limit future games. If the next Legend of Zelda game is set in outer space or on a submarine (as weird as those concepts would be), they wouldn’t need to be restricted by the timelines.

The Legend of Zelda has always played it fast and loose with its timelines, with most of the references being little more than fan service and nods to the long-time fans. Even Breath of the Wild has multiple continuities, thanks to Tears of the Kingdom and the alternate timeline in Age of Calamity.

Aonuma will eventually step down from The Legend of Zelda series, and his successor may have different views of the timeline. Until then, fans will have to be content with the timeline being a subtle background element to the individual stories of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.