The fourth annual Develop 100, which ranks the world's game development studios according to the sales of their games at U.K. retail, has determined that Nintendo is now number one, knocking off EA Canada, which held the top spot for the last three years.

According to the report, Nintendo's Kyoto and Tokyo-based development teams generated £129.83 million in revenue (about $256 million), which is up 200 percent year-over-year, thanks to games like Brain Training and Super Mario Galaxy. EA Canada, by comparison, generated just £68.78 million. Other studios in the top 10 include Ubisoft Montreal, Konami, Infinity Ward, EA Black Box, Maxis, and Bungie. The complete list can be viewed on this page.

Develop noted that "despite the increased success of Nintendo and other Japanese studios – and the widely reported pressures from low-cost development centers in Canada – the Develop 100 shows European studios in good health. Development teams in the U.K. and mainland Europe claim 36 places in the list between them, having generated £284m at U.K. retail in 2007 – higher than Canada's 12 studios and £221m revenues."

"While the success of the Wii and DS has helped a number of Japanese firms triumph, it's good to also see developers in the U.K. and mainland Europe punching above their weight to claim a huge chunk of the credit for some of last year's best-selling games," commented Develop's Michael French.