Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured a significant legal victory, winning nearly a quarter of a million dollars in a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst, known for his focus on competitive and speedrunning gaming content, featured Mitchell in a video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered over 500,000 views. The court determined that Jobst's video contained defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.
Mitchell's gaming accolades came under scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr., which violated the rules. After a six-year battle to defend his records, Mitchell successfully had his scores reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his records were also recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.
However, Mitchell's defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not about the validity of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, it stemmed from Jobst's 2021 video, which Mitchell claimed falsely suggested that his previous legal action against another YouTuber, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, resulted in Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly implied 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 that no money had been paid.
Jobst admitted defeat on X/Twitter, stating, "I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony." He emphasized 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 to his supporters and vowed to work hard to repay their support, while also asserting his pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying and defending his right to free expression.
The judge ordered Jobst to pay $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 in aggravated damages but awarded the amount Mitchell sought.
Mitchell, who achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, rose to fame through the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which documented his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.
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