About whether the imperials or stormcloaks won? I'm guessing the imperials, since without skyrim, the empire isn't really an empire. Black Marsh and Morrowind are under control of the Argonian State, led by the An-Xileel, which are equivalent to Thalmor (in terms of being a ruling political faction) which is really undermentioned in the game, btw. Elsweyr, Valenwood and Summerset Isles are under the control of the Aldmeri Dominion, led by the Thalmor. Hammerfell is independent and in the middle of a civil war. I guess that only leaves Highrock and Cyrodiil being parts of the empire, should the empire lose in Skyrim.

I really can't say canonically Ulfric would win, it doesn't really work that well. Unless of course there is to be no more empire, if that is what is chosen for the story line.

I'd say they'll just not mention anything specific about it. After all, it's not like it's going to be super-relevant for the next game. Even if the Empire wins, the fact remains: the Empire is in decline and it's not going to be around. The end of the DB also alludes to that.

The canon will be that there is no canon. Whatever you did is canon to you and whatever everyone else did is canon to them. Best not to mention it. It's not a world-changing event, so it doesn't need to be brought up ever again.

I'd prefer a canon ending. We could still play our own way. Beth could choose an official canon just like Bioware did with the Mass Effect trilogy.

I think I gotta disagree. It is an important event. Especially with dragons coming around at the same time. It's not like it will just be forgotten. There is plenty of material about the oblivion crisis, I doubt the event will be completely forgotten. If the empire is to collapse, Ulfric wins. If it is to live, the empire triumphs.

I doubt they'll mention it. The next game will be in a different province, the past politics of Skyrim won't matter anymore.

Though obviously it should be left to the players decision of what they think happened, it is a good thing for canon to be chosen so as to maintain a storyline of the Elder Scrolls world.

I'm gonna say Ulfric won. All the other provinces are becoming independent or part of new political entities (Valenwood, Sumerset and Elsweyr for the Thalmor, Morrowind and the Black Marsh for the Argonian government, Hammerfell is independent), and the Imperial City has already been sacked. When Rome was sacked the first time, it was all over for the Roman Empire. They persisted a bit longer, but ultimately they were finished at that point and doomed to crumble completely. We can already see the Empire is crumbling both militarily and economically (and socially, by the looks of it), so for it to persist would just drag it out for an extra game.

So here's my version of what happens. Skrim got independence, the Empire fell. Whether from internal strife, external invasion, or whatever, it fell. The weakened state of Skyrim joins with High Rock to form an alliance, and Hammerfell either remains independent or becomes part of their alliance. Cyrodiil is split into pieces by each of the powers, with Argonia getting the south-east, the Skyrim-High Rock alliance getting the north, and the Aldmeri Dominion getting the south and west. The rivers in Cyrodiil are convenient for this because it splits it pretty well down the middle.

From here, no idea what happens next or where the game is set. Maybe Eslweyr, with Argonians trying to invade or something? Sumerset Isles makes little sense unless the Argonians and Nords all got boats and invaded, Valenwood would be uninteresting due to the entire thing being just woods, Skyrim, Morrowind, High Rock and Cyrodiil have been used already. So my best guess based on this general canon is a setting in either Hammerfell, with all 3 factions vying for it, or some kind of cross-province setting. Maybe even something in the Black Marsh with internal strife, kinda like how Morrowind had no war going on but it had the internal problems with Dagoth Ur, and how Arena had you trying to free the Emperor. This would work with the Sumerset Isles as well.



just my 2 cents

Of course there's plenty of material about the Oblivion Crisis. And I'm sure there will be plenty of material on the return of the dragons and Alduin's demise. But what does that have to do with the Stormcloaks and the Empire? Very little.

It's like Viarmo in the Bard's College says, in a hundred years, Skyrim will have changed rulers a dozen times, but the dragon's returning is something that's once in a lifetime.