Donkey Kong High Score Legend Sues Company For Wiping Away His Score
Billy Mitchell, deemed as “The King of Kong” who is the former Donkey Kong and Pac-Man high score champion has been in court regarding a lawsuit with company Twin Galaxies for wiping away Mitchell’s scores for their leader boards.
Billy Mitchell, known as the high score champion in the documentary made in 2007 called “The King of Kong” was accused of falsifying his Donkey Kong high score. In 2018, after a lengthy investigation, arcade game authority Twin Galaxies, announced its decision to wipe away Mitchell’s scores from its records. They also went on to ban him from participating in competitive leader boards. Mitchell was accused of achieving his high score on emulated software, which according to the gaming authority, is “strictly forbidden”. Billy Mitchell has been fighting back against the decision ever since.
In September of last year (2019), Mitchell threatened in a letter to take legal action against Twin Galaxies and Guinness World Records. The case was officially served to Twin Galaxies in February before a detailed complaint was added in March.
The high score legend is now suing Twin Galaxies for defamation over the authority’s statement in 2018. Lawyers have accused Twin Galaxies of pre-determining the outcome of the investigation that took place regarding Mitchell’s high score, in order to “generate publicity and internet clicks by accusing Mitchell, the most visible of all video gamers, of cheating.” Lawyers also state that Twin Galaxies failed to contact key witnesses and fact check their information.
Mitchell spoke up, stating, he achieved his high scores on “certified arcade boards in front of hundreds of people“ and more than 25 witnesses “signed sworn affidavits testifying to their observation of Mitchell” earning the scores.
CEO of Twin Galaxies, Jace Hall said the gaming authority company had spent “thousands of dollars to adjudicate the claim.” He called the process the “most professionally documented and thoroughly investigated video game score of all time.”
As of right now, a decision has not been made in the lawsuit. Everything will be presented to a judge on July 6, 2020.
