Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has successfully won a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst, securing nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damages. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst's video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!"—which garnered 500,000 views—contained statements that a court deemed defamatory towards Mitchell, including inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.
Mitchell's reputation came under scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amidst allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr., which is against the rules. After a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his accolades reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website and also had his high scores recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.
Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has won a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. Photo by David Greedy/Gettty Images.
However, Mitchell's lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the validity of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video suggested that Mitchell's previous lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith resulted in Smith owing $1 million in damages and implied that this contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly indicated that Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide.
After Mitchell threatened legal action, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed no money was paid. Jobst admitted on X/Twitter that he lost the case, with the judge finding Mitchell to be a credible witness. Jobst clarified that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his claims about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources."
"I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony," Jobst stated, expressing his regret and gratitude for the support he received. He emphasized his commitment to repaying the support he received and his pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying and protecting his right to free 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 might have been justified in receiving more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages but awarded the amount sought by Mitchell.
Mitchell gained fame in the arcade gaming community for achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s and was further propelled into the spotlight with the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.
