The folks at the Activision are probably ripping their shirts off and swinging their axes (guitars) above their heads with the announcement of their domination of the third-party publisher ranks. They've overcome long-time leader Electronic Arts to become the top-grossing third party in the gaming world.

The latest from the NPD group shows that sales of Activision's titles, led by the Guitar Hero series, has hit almost $400 million. EA has lost the top spot for the first time in over a decade with sales of $365.7 million.

Other big titles in the Activision camp include the Call of Duty series as well as the Tony Hawk franchise, but Activision's buy-up of RedOctane last year for $100 million looks like money well spent, and has definitely put them over the top.

"For 17 years, I've focused on becoming the No1 video game company, and we're getting a lot closer to achieving that objective," said Activision chief executive Bobby Kotick.

Closer? You guys nailed it! Good Job, Activision, but you have your work cut out for you if you want to stay on top.

[via Next-Gen ]