Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured nearly a quarter of a million dollars in a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst's video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" garnered 500,000 views and was found by the court to contain defamatory content against Mitchell, including inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.
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 authentic arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a prolonged defense of his records, Mitchell's achievements were reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' site, and his scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.
The defamation lawsuit against Jobst stemmed not from Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores, but from Jobst's video, which Mitchell claimed falsely implied that his previous legal action against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith led to Smith owing $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's tragic suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly suggested Mitchell had expressed joy over Smith's death.
After receiving a legal threat from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no financial settlement had been made. Jobst acknowledged his loss on X/Twitter, clarifying that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his statements about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources."
Jobst expressed regret over the outcome and gratitude for the support he received, stating, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression." He plans to explore his legal options moving forward.
The court ordered Jobst to pay 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 approximately $241,000. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been awarded more in aggravated damages but adhered to the amount Mitchell sought.
Mitchell, known for achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, gained further fame through the 2007 documentary King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.
