Hardware manufacturer submission failures are a familiar, and costly, irritant to publishers. Common sources of failure are incorrect component naming and system messages. The multilingual nature of European titles means that it is critical that titles comply with hardware manufacturers' standards in all language SKUs.

'If Babel can achieve zero failure rates it will not only be good for our clients, but the whole industry as well. Jon's appointment will help us to attain this by using strict procedures and training staff to the highest possible standards,' said Ben Wibberley, Babel's Business Development Director.

Mepham's sole job function is to maintain Client Standards and ensure that QA output is consistent and compliant with all hardware manufacturers standards. By liasing with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, Mepham will utilise the Babel QA teams to employ the correct terminology for the three major gaming platforms in all languages.

Mepham's appointment comes as Babel continues to attract the best talent the games industry has to offer. The company recently appointed Russ Williams as Head of Games Programming and earlier this year made Dominic Mason head of its editorial department.