The Elder Scrolls 6 will explore who won Skyrim's civil war

Skyrim was defined by a lot of the amazing moving parts created by Bethesda, making for a narrative fantasy experience unlike any other - but it's all held up by the backbone that is the civil war that rages on as you fight to take down Alduin.

After the death of High King Torygg, the Stormcloaks, led by its Jarl and the Imperials loyal to High Queen Elisif, are locked in a stalemate in their efforts to secure Skyrim for themselves, with both sides immobilised until you, the Dragonborn, find your allegiance and fight alongside them. Whoever you choose, the result is bloodshed and fury - but it leads to a Skyrim ruled by either Jarl Ulfric, or the Imperial Empire. It's a big part of the story, and a contentious one at that.

Yet, it has been considered that at one point, The Elder Scrolls is going to have to pick a side for its canonical progression - and it's thought that the new game in the series will delve into exactly that.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely lead on from Skyrim's civil war

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As first theorised by ScreenRant, the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely going to have to reconcile with the civil war that came before it in Skyrim, and eventually, it's going to have to pick a side.

As every new Elder Scrolls game has moved on chronologically from its predecessor, it's expected that The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be doing the same, and as such, it's going to have to address the civil war in some capacity.

It's unlikely that the reverberations across Tamriel that the war will have caused will be minimal, so to some degree at the very least, Bethesda is going to have to address who won the war canonically and decide if the Stormcloaks or the Empire have come out on top.

But, equally, it might not have a huge impact on the new game itself.

The Elder Scrolls 6 might not be about the civil war at all

There's still a chance that with this new game, Bethesda is looking forwards and hoping to develop an all-new story, attempting to carve out its own path - but at the same time, the war isn't something that can be ignored.

Though the game may not be all about the war itself, we'll likely see the events of the conflict reflected in side-quests and texts at the very least, and though we're probably not going to be meeting Jarl Balgruff again any time soon, we'll at least be given answers in some small way. After all, no matter how far across Tamriel The Elder Scrolls 6 takes us, the events of Skyrim will have changed the world forever.

We're excited to see what new details The Elder Scrolls has to offer - but we're equally excited to see what our efforts in Skyrim led to. Total political collapse, here we come.