Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured a significant victory in court, winning nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damages after successfully suing Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst for defamation. 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 garnered 500,000 views. The court found 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 amid 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 violates the rules. After a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his records reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his high scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.
The defamation lawsuit against Jobst, however, was not related to the validity of Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video suggested that Mitchell's previous lawsuit against another YouTuber, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, led to Smith having to pay $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. The video also 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 acknowledged his loss 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 about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources." Jobst expressed regret and gratitude for the support he received, emphasizing his commitment to continue working hard to repay his supporters. He also stated, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression," in a subsequent update.
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 "may well have been justified in being ordered to pay more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages, but that is the amount being sought by Mr Mitchell and that is the amount I shall award."
Mitchell, who achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, rose to fame through the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.
