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 over 500,000 views. The court found that the video contained defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.
Mitchell's reputation in the gaming world was previously marred in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards following allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of traditional arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his records reinstated on Twin Galaxies' website as part of a "historical database," and his high scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World of Records in 2020.
The defamation lawsuit against Jobst, however, was not related to the controversy over Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video suggested that Mitchell's earlier lawsuit against another YouTuber, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, had resulted in Smith owing $1 million in damages and may have contributed to his suicide in 2020. The video also implied that Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide. Following legal threats from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no money had been 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 that his claims regarding Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources." Despite the setback, Jobst expressed pride in standing up for his right to free expression and promised to continue working hard to repay his supporters.
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 approximately $241,000. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been justified in seeking more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages but awarded the amount Mitchell requested.
Mitchell, who achieved 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.
