I suppose this would make people happier with the Civil War in the next game. Some people want Stormcloaks to rule, others want the Empire. Well, what if after all the conflict, the country is just split into two different states, probably not even Skyrim, anymore. I have no doubt that the Stormcloak side would keep the 'Skyrim' name, but I could see the Empire changing the name of their half of what was once Skyrim.

Honestly, I can't find another way of making the Civil War a moot point in the future of the Elder Scrolls, besides not at all mentioning it, which would be silly...

I dont think Ulfric and Tullius would settle for this. both sides were strict on what they wanted. my guess is that something will happen like an invasion/crisis. and neither the Empire or the SC will be ruling Skyrim at that point.

Skyrim is a single province, one messed-up political morass out of many that the Empire has to deal with at the moment. If any future game puts us in the south of Tamriel, Skyrim will be so far away as to be unimportant (especially if the game is set in an Aldmeri Dominion-held province). While the Empire will have a much easier time of it if Skyrim remains part of the Empire (mainly due to the fact that, without Skyrim, it'll be more than a little difficult to communicate with High Rock), the actual results won't affect any future gameplay--guards and legionaries will still spawn automatically, for instance, so any "manpower shortcomings" that might occur because Skyrim is independent would be completely imaginary in the first place. Any account of the war could say that it is still ongoing, or that the situation is so confused up north that there hasn't been real news in years, or that Thalmor aggression (assuming that the next game takes place in the lead-up to or the event of the second Great War) has put the war up north on the backburner for everyone--including the Stormcloaks, who after all don't want the Thalmor to win any more than the Empire does. There are plenty of ways to ignore the result of the war in the next game, if that's what they want to do.

I doubt the aim would be to have anyone be happy. Rather, after the Civil War seriously ravages Skyrim, Ulfric's forces are stationed in Windhelm and the east, Tullius in Solitude in the West. Besides, if this was in the next TES, Ulfric wouldn't rule Stormcloak Skyrim, and Tullius wouldn't command over the Imperial once-Skyrim.

I know Ulfric is ambitious and won't back down, but if he could see the damage to his troops, his pride and to his country that a continued stalemate would cause, then I could see him reinforcing what he already owns, the east, and pulling out from the west. He would declare independence, and Tullius would have to listen, being unable to launch a major offensive campaign while the Empire is preparing for the next Great War.

Tullius wouldn't be happy with Ulfric managing to take part of Skyrim, and continue to govern over people, and Ulfric wouldn't be happy with the Empire taking part of Skyrim.

"Season Unending" is part of the main quest. It may be there for a reason.

That's only a temporary truce while the Dragonborn deals with the dragons. After that, it's back on. Unless it's foreshadowing future events, which I honestly doubt.

Well then, why make the civil war quest if nothing is going to change? Skyrim was already divided, with the empire in the west and the stormcloaks in the east. basically that ending you are proposing would make the CW meaningless altogether.

As meaningless as your victory in the game having no effect on the world in the future? Your success would be holding a part of Skyrim for the faction you chose to side with. It's either your efforts are forgotten, or you just have a smaller victory than expected.

The Civil War doesn't even happen (in terms of taking forts and cities) unless the player actually does one of the factions. Canon (up until this point) has reflected main quest completion and has not, to my knowledge, incorporated the other factions as completed entered into official canon.

As far as gameplay is concerned, nothing in the civil war quest suggests that the effects of the victory of either side will be felt outside of Skyrim. I side with the Empire mainly because I figure that the Empire has already lost enough that one more might kill it, but in the end, keep it or lose it, the Empire's got so much trouble on its plate that this one thing is probably not going to be that big a deal to it. As for the Stormcloaks, their entire schtick is that Skyrim's independence is good for Skyrim, and they don't care what it means for anyone else. The Empire is similar in their propaganda. The entire quest is about putting forward the question, "What is good for Skyrim?" The result of the quest, therefore, is your answer to that question. Outside of Skyrim, where we will be in the next game, that answer doesn't matter at all.

I'll be very surprised if the Civil War is left as is, especially since that would entail both men living when its quite possible we axed the both of them. Its worth mentioning that we never fully defeat either the Legion or the Stormcloaks, as there are still remnants of both factions after the quest line is done. I can see the legion being pulled out of Skyrim for one reason or another post-Skyrim, and the Stormcloak rebels seizing the opportunity.