What lore do you ignore?

[Dikatis]

That exception being an in-game thing: 2020 rising event saying “7 years have passed since the moon dropped”, indicating 2 years had passed in-game (game starts at moonfall+5 years), and this was when your character could be at the very end of Shadowbringers, at most.

I'm pretty sure this is Yoshi-P referring to the context of the current build of the game being seven years old since its relaunch in 2013, not that seven years have passed in-story. The person speaking is explicitly meant to be a representation of Yoshi-P who is speaking to the player through WoL as thanks for their continued support. I don't think this level of fourth-wall breaking is meant to refer to time passage in-story.

[kaynide]

I'm pretty sure this is Yoshi-P referring to the context of the current build of the game being seven years old since its relaunch in 2013, not that seven years have passed in-story. The person speaking is explicitly meant to be a representation of Yoshi-P who is speaking to the player through WoL as thanks for their continued support. I don't think this level of fourth-wall breaking is meant to refer to time passage in-story.

I agree, but I also would concede if someone wanted to say that this was “stated by an NPC in the game” as a potential basis for a timeline.

[Iscah]

I agree, but I also would concede if someone wanted to say that this was “stated by an NPC in the game” as a potential basis for a timeline.

I don't think Yoshida-in-the-Rising counts as an NPC within the bounds of the game's reality. He makes it fairly clear that he has come from outside it.

Characters within the game's reality still tell you that it is five years since the Calamity.

[kaynide]

I don't think Yoshida-in-the-Rising counts as an NPC within the bounds of the game's reality. He makes it fairly clear that he has come from outside it.

Characters within the game's reality still tell you that it is five years since the Calamity.

Again, I agree.

But, again, I would concede if someone used it as a basis for their argument regarding the passage of time.

If someone asked Yoshida in an interview “how much time has passed since the fall of the moon?”
And he said “ah around 7 years”, it would be accepted as an answer relevant in game that 2ish years have passed from ARR to EW.