Gaming

Billy Mitchell beats Youtuber in defamation legal battle: The surprising victory of the Donkey Kong champion

A precedent for content creator accountability in the digital age.

Update: Apr 3rd, 2025 19:30 CEST

Billy Mitchell, known for his Guinness World Records in classic games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, was a controversial figure in the retro gaming community. His reputation was called into question after the release of the documentary ’The King of Kong‘, which resulted in his Donkey Kong records being invalidated due to accusations of cheating. However, he was later able to prove his innocence and regain his achievements.

Karl Jobst found guilty of defaming Billy Mitchell

Youtuber Karl Jobst has been ordered to pay more than A$380,000 in damages after making defamatory comments about Mitchell. According to the Queensland Judgments, Judge Ken Barlow found that Jobst’s video was viewed by more than 500,000 people and generated comments that went as far as accusing Mitchell of murder, amplifying the negative impact of the content. Despite receiving legal warnings, Jobst ignored the notices from Mitchell’s attorneys and went so far as to mock the lawsuit on social media.

Billy Mitchell beats Youtuber in defamation legal battle: The surprising victory of the Donkey Kong champion

The origin of the conflict: a video from 2021

The case began in 2021, when Jobst posted a video titled “The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" In it, he insinuated that Mitchell had received a large sum of money as part of a legal settlement with the late youtuber Benjamin Smith (Apollo Legend), and that this alleged compensation was a determining factor in his suicide in 2020. Jobst even claimed that Mitchell “rejoiced” over Smith’s death. He later changed the content of the video several times after receiving warnings and after Smith’s brother denied that any payment had been made.

After the verdict was announced, Karl Jobst admitted his defeat in X: “I lost. The judge found Billy’s testimony credible and believed it completely. From that point on, there was nothing that could save me.”

I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony. From that point on unfortunately there was really nothing that could have saved me. I will now obviously consider my options.

I know many of you will be upset with this and I am sorry for…
— Karl Jobst (@karljobstgaming) April 1, 2025

With this court decision, Billy Mitchell reaffirms his stance against those who have questioned his legacy in video game history.