Legendary arcade gamer Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has been awarded nearly $241,000 in damages after an Australian court ruled that YouTuber Karl Jobst defamed him in a 2021 video.
As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst - known for his coverage of competitive gaming and speedrunning - featured Mitchell in a controversial video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" The court determined Jobst's video, which garnered over 500,000 views, contained defamatory and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.
Mitchell's Donkey Kong controversies date back to 2018 when Twin Galaxies removed his high scores amid accusations he used emulators rather than authentic arcade cabinets to achieve records in classic games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man - a violation of competitive rules. However, after years of legal battles, Mitchell successfully had his records restored in Twin Galaxies' historical database, and Guinness World Records reinstated his achievements in 2020.
The defamation case centered not on Mitchell's gaming records, but rather on claims made in Jobst's video about Mitchell's prior lawsuit against another content creator, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith. The court found Jobst implied this lawsuit caused Smith's financial ruin and 2020 suicide, with allegedly false suggestions that Mitchell took pleasure in Smith's death.
Jobst later edited the video after Mitchell's legal challenge, and Smith's family confirmed no monetary damages were ever paid. Following the verdict, Jobst acknowledged defeat on X/Twitter, admitting the judge found Mitchell credible while clarifying he never accused Mitchell of cheating. He attributed his controversial statements to "incorrect information from multiple sources."
"From that point there was really nothing that could have saved me," Jobst stated, adding in a follow-up post: "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 for non-economic damages, $31,300 in aggravated damages, plus $22,000 interest. The judge noted Mitchell could have pursued higher compensation but accepted the requested amount.
Mitchell first gained fame in the 1980s with his perfect Pac-Man score before becoming a central figure in the 2007 documentary King of Kong, which chronicled his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.
