Activision, the world's largest third-party gaming publisher, netted more than $3 billion in 2008, Kotaku reported on Friday. Coming as no surprise: World of Warcraft, Wii, and Guitar Hero drove a majority of said sales.

On the flipside, PlayStation sold the least amount of console product for the gaming giant, underscoring the stark role reversal of Nintendo and Sony in just three years. The PS2 accounted for $284 million in net sales for Activision, while the PS3 accounted for $241 million. You read that right. Activision made more revenue on PS2 than the PS3 last year.

To be sure, both figures are respectable and end up in the same

checking account. But it's somewhat of a stinger for Sony, who has yet

to foster significant momentum for the PS3—more than two years since

its release—while the PS2 lingers.

In fairness, the PS2 has sold more than 140 million systems since 2000,

while the PS3 has moved 20 million units since 2006. That's a big gap.

But the revenue anomaly is likely a sizable concern for growth,

particularly if you're Activision, not to mention Sony.

Contrary to popular belief, which suggests third-party publishers take

a back seat on Nintendo platforms, Activision's biggest console in 2008

was actually the Wii. Thanks primarily to brisk sales of Guitar Hero 3 and Guitar Hero World Tour, the company netted $407 million on the motion-sensing system.

Slightly behind the Wii was the Xbox 360, driving $361 million in revenues

for Activision last year. Even though the Wii outsells the Xbox 360 by

almost 2 to 1, Microsoft's machine carries the reputation for being the

most friendly to third-party publishers.