Is Nintendo in the driving seat for the next gen? (Nintendo)A reader predicts that 2025 is going to be turning point for the games industry and that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be at the centre of it all.It was inevitable that pics of the Switch 2 would leak out before the official annoucement, given someone always manages to take a photo they shouldnt on the production line. Thats what we got at first, but I never expected to see so many accessory makers spoiling the secrets in such a blatant way. I still dont understand why either? They gain nothing from it and now Nintendo hates their guts. Seems completely self-defeating.Thats their problem though. What it means is that we already know exactly the Switch 2 looks like: the original Switch. Thats interesting but in terms of anything important we still know nothing. Therere no believable rumours about any of the games and we dont know what any of the new buttons do or if it has any unexpected features which Nintendo has implied it does.We dont know what the new buttons at the back do or what the C button does. It must be important because it kind of spoils the look of the console and the right Joy-Con, so I think the guess about some kind of TV casting feature are probably true, so you can use it like the Wii U GamePad. But thats only a guess, and its Nintendo, so who really knows.Im not going to speculate anymore because the reason I call the Switch 2 weird is nothing to do with what it does, but the position it will have in the games industry. Xbox and PlayStation are in a bad way at the moment. Xbox console sales are in the toilet and PlayStation 5 is falling quicker than expected, with still not much announced for the future and no word on whether theyve given up live service games or not.The games industry is in a mess right now and yet Nintendo is coming off the back of their best run ever. Theyre in a position they havent been in since the NES, where their last console was a massive success and their next one looks like its going to be as well. That gives them a lot of power in the industry and publishers are going to be falling over themselves to work with Nintendo which is not something many gamers have seen in their lifetime before.Its going to come across as just as weird to Nintendo as well, who wont be anymore used to it than we are. What will they do with that level of influence? Will they immediately start to bully companies around and take advantage or will they become the safe pair of hands the industry needs right now? This seems to be what the Switch 2 looks like (Reddit)I wouldnt like to say really, but I dont think we should underestimate what a strange and important fork in the road the games industry is at right now. We still dont know whether companies have really given up on all the live service nonsense, its not clear what Xbox is planning for its next gen hardware, and we have no idea what Sonys long term plans are.That level of uncertainty is not good for anyone, whether youre a company or just a fan. And to be honest, despite being a Nintendo fan Im not sure I really trust them with this level of control. Nintendo might be more sensible than Sony and Microsoft, but they only care about themselves and have no interest in the rest of the games industry or any publisher that they dont rely on.More TrendingSony and Microsoft arent exactly charities but at least they both look at the industry in more or less the same way. With Nintendo they have a very specific view of gaming, thats very different to anyone else.2025 is certainly going to be an interesting year, thats all I can say. Will Nintendo become the dominant force in the games industry, in a way they never have before? Or will they fumble the ball and let it fall into even more turmoil? To be honest I have no idea, but its kind of worrying that either eventually is entirely possible. Nintendo cant be enjoying these leaks (Global Source)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy