Not so long ago, we ran some ESRB figures revealing that games rated 'M' for Mature are only a very small portion of that which developers released in 2007. However, a new report in which Next Generation compiled some sales statistics from the NPD Group shows us that even though M-rated titles may be few and far between, they sell quite well when compared to their peers with less extreme content. Here you can see how well M-rated titles sold in a boom from 2006 to 2007 (driven by a few AAA titles, for sure).

Hit the jump and I'll show you what all that means when compared to the actual amount M-rated games were released in 2007.

What we see here is that while Mature games don't dominate the marketplace's overall selection, they are certainly doing their part in dictating what we buy. Note: the ESRB numbers include more than just console titles, so this comparison should NOT be taken as scientific. With that in mind, see that Mature's 6% of games sold 21% of overall game revenue. Hit the link for the whole story as told by Next Gen.

By the Numbers: M-Rated Games Rake It In [Next Generation]