Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has been awarded 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!" which garnered over 500,000 views, was deemed defamatory by the court. The video contained inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.

Mitchell, known as the "King of Kong," faced controversy in 2018 when his high scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations that he used MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets for games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr., a practice against the rules. After a six-year battle, Mitchell successfully had his scores reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' site, and they were also recognized again 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/Gett

Mitchell's defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the validity of his Donkey Kong scores but stemmed from Jobst's video suggesting that Mitchell's earlier legal action against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith resulted in Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to his suicide in 2020. The video also implied Mitchell had expressed joy at Smith's death. After Mitchell threatened legal action, Jobst edited the video, and it was confirmed by Smith's brother that no money had been paid.

Jobst admitted defeat on X/Twitter, noting that the judge found Mitchell to be a credible witness. 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 and vowed to work hard to repay his supporters, stating, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression."

The court ordered Jobst to pay $187,800 (AU$300,000) in damages for non-economic loss, $31,300 (AU$50,000) in 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 settled on the amount Mitchell sought.

Mitchell's fame began in the '80s with his perfect score in Pac-Man and was further solidified in the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.