Correct me if I am wrong, but before they announced the story for Skyrim, were all the events of the past games knowingly tied together? I only played Morrowind and Oblivion and never really read any of the fiction, but I was always under the impression that all the games' stories were kind of independent until Bethesda tied them all together with Skyrim to make an overarching plot.

Besides, even if everything was leading up to this point, there is still unlimited potential in the series:
-They could make a much smaller scale, but much more focused game that centered around the beginnings of the Dark Brotherhood, the Blades, the Knights of the Nine, one of the cults, or one of guilds. It might be hard to pull off an ES game that doesn't revolve around saving the world, but I really think Bethesda could pull if off. It would be interesting to see a smaller scale ES game with very detailed and fleshed out characters, rather than hundreds of random zombie AI's with little more than 1 or 2 sentences to speak.
-They could do a storyline well into the future when all the provinces have splintered into three factions facing off in an all out race war (i.e. the elves vs humans vs beast races), purposely brought about by the deceit of Sheogorath in a plot to destroy the world
-A game focused on the Dwemer and their disappearance
-A game centered around the gods of Tamriel and their history/conflicts

Not to mention there are quite a few areas and races that haven't been featured much lately in the series that could be combined with any typical ES storyline to create whole new worlds to explore. Really, with as much history and lore there is involved in the series, it has near unlimited potential. As long as they don't go MMO :nono: I will be a lifelong fan of the series.

I think that the Elder Scrolls still has a lot of potential. There is so much more lore to explore. I remember I was reading a book in Oblivion called The Mysterious Akavir and it mentioned how the Akavir over a span of 3,000 years, invaded Tamriel and controlled it for certain periods and then were pushed back. At the end of the book the author mentioned how the Empire wants to eventually get revenge on Akavir, for all the invasions that they committed; but the Empire already tried that and it failed (I don't think I have to go into detail on what happened, but it was a complete failure). So maybe for Elder Scrolls VI, they will do an invasion type plot. Either the Tamrielic races invading Akavir or the Akavir invading Tamriel (again).

Wrong. They found out they mis-read the calander.

More on topic now: Of course, they have some pretty damn good writers, another amazing conflict can always happen, possibly with Molag Bol or Clavicus Vile or Jigalyag (or however you spell it). My money is on the Prince of Order cracking down on everything and trying to take dominion over everything to impose order.

Akavir is so mysterious I really hope we will get to visit some day

I think this will be one of the most important games for the franchise- for several reasons- but I don't think they will stop making TES. Too popular a fan base- too fun to make- and too fun to play. Plus there's a lot more they can do with the games, but I think Skyrim is just the MAJOR game- not the last.

depends how much money it makes i guess

It seemed like morrowind was leading up to oblivion, in fact some dunmer in tribunal talks about a deadrea invasion, so they can always keep going forward. Maybe some random comment in skyrim will be about tes 4

clearly alduin will not prevail because then what do we do afterwards you cant complete the game 100% if alduin wins in the end of the main quest because there will always be something you missed. This will not be the last Elder Scrolls game when TES finishes if TES finishes it will go out with a bang. the last TES game will have the biggest story line the biggest ending ever and it wont be about a dragonborn killing dragons to save tamriel it will be about the end of nirn alltogether

If I remember correctly, Thats exactly what Alduin is trying to do. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Doubt it. I could see high rock being a shivering isles-size DLC for skyrim. Its joined to the west of skyrim.
Apart from that, the provinces left are valenwood, black marsh, elsweyr, and the summerset isles. I think. Correct me if I'm wrong.

how do the expect 360 to survive 4 more years?

:nono: Not really remember Bethesda Game Studios isn't making a Fallout game thats Obsidion's job i think we see the next chapter in 2014. As for 2012 the Maya believed it to be the birth of a new era not a celistel dooms day annailation. Know this the world could end at any moment, not a specific day in 2012. It happened to the dinosaurs on an account of a meteor strike.

Psh besides, are you really gonna trust a bunch of people who couldn't even keep their civilization alive and flourishing long enough to see this end of days? I do agree with you on the date though, I'm sure some of the guys who only do large scale concept stuff are already thinking about what to do next.

I may be mistaken but i believe that its a quote from the underking that is on the screen when you make a new game of morrowind.

back on topic honestly to say all the events had led up to it...well yes and no. Skyrim wasnt thought of till 2006 and most of the details hadnt been thought until fallout 3. So it did lead up to it but the series wasnt created for them to lead up to it. which it seems many of us are forgetting. also i personaly dont believe that they are leading up to it...alduins wall seems like a timeline. (doing for memory) First dragons were banished, Second the events of arena, Third the events of daggerfall, Fourth the events of morrowind, Fifth the events of oblivion , Sixth there would be a war between the people for king seventh alduin will come back and finally the dragonborn has something to do about it. like I said a timeline. which also means that we play as the hero in the most important elder scrolls(the actuall scrolls).