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, 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 amassed 500,000 views. The court determined that Jobst's video contained defamatory content and made unsubstantiated claims against Mitchell.
Mitchell's gaming accolades faced scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of traditional arcade cabinets to achieve records in games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. However, after six years of defending his records, Mitchell successfully had his scores reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' site and 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/Getty Images.
The defamation lawsuit Mitchell filed against Jobst was not about the validity of his Donkey Kong scores but rather focused on claims made in Jobst's 2021 video. The video suggested that Mitchell's previous lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith led to Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. It also implied that Mitchell took pleasure in Smith's death. Jobst edited the video after Mitchell's legal threat, and Smith's brother later confirmed that no money was paid.
Jobst acknowledged the court's decision on X/Twitter, 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 admitted his claims about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources." In a subsequent update, Jobst expressed his resolve not to back down from defending his free expression, despite the ruling.
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. Mitchell, who achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s and gained fame through the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe, continues to be a prominent figure in the arcade gaming community.
