Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured nearly a quarter of a million dollars in a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. 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 inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims, leading to Mitchell's successful defamation claim.

Mitchell's gaming accolades came under scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to set records in games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his records reinstated in Twin Galaxies' "historical database" and also had them recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.

However, Mitchell's defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the validity of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video implied that Mitchell's previous lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith resulted in Smith having to pay $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's tragic suicide in 2020. The video also suggested that Mitchell had expressed joy at the thought of Smith's suicide. Jobst later edited the video after Mitchell's legal threats, and Smith's brother confirmed that no money was paid.

Jobst acknowledged his defeat on X/Twitter, stating that the judge found Mitchell 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 his regret and gratitude for the support he received, emphasizing his commitment to continue fighting for free expression.

The court 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 approximately $241,000. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been justified in receiving more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages but awarded the amount Mitchell sought.

Mitchell first rose to fame in the arcade gaming world by achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man during the '80s and further gained recognition through the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.