Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damages after successfully suing Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst for defamation. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst, known for his content on competitive and speedrunning gaming, featured Mitchell in a video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered 500,000 views. The court found that the video contained defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims against Mitchell.
Mitchell's journey in the gaming world has been tumultuous. In 2018, he was stripped of his title when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve his high scores in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr., a practice that violates the rules. After six years of defending his records, Mitchell managed to have his accolades reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his high scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.
However, Mitchell's defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not directly related to the legitimacy of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell claimed that Jobst's 2021 video falsely implied that his previous lawsuit against another YouTuber, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, resulted in Smith having to pay $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's tragic suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly suggested that Mitchell had taken pleasure in Smith's death.
Following legal threats from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no money had been paid. Jobst took to X/Twitter to address the outcome, stating, "I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony." He clarified that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his claims about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources." Jobst expressed regret and gratitude for the support he received, emphasizing his commitment to continue his work and repay his supporters.
In a subsequent update, Jobst affirmed his pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying and defending his freedom of expression.
The judge awarded Mitchell $187,800 (AU$300,000) for non-economic loss, $31,300 (AU$50,000) for aggravated damages, and $22,000 (AU$34,668.50) in interest, totaling around $241,000. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been awarded more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages but adhered to the amount Mitchell sought.
Mitchell gained fame for achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man during the '80s and further rose to prominence through the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.
