Billy Mitchell Sues Twin Galaxies for $10m

It’s been very quiet on the Billy Mitchell news for the last few months, but you’d be a fool in thinking that this man was going to just slip quietly into the night.

So, what has he done this time? Well, in making good on threats he made last September, Billy Mitchell has officially launched legal action against Twin Galaxies (and others) for what he considers slander and, effectively, defamation of character.

Billy Mitchell Sues Twin Galaxies

If you don’t know who Billy Mitchell is, I’ll try and keep this brief. And by brief, I mean within a couple of hundred words!

Billy Mitchell was one of the first recognized mainstream ‘professional’ gamers. Initially coming to fame by being the first person to score a ‘perfect game’ in PAC-MAN. Transitioning to Donkey Kong he was, for a time, the world record (high score) holder in that game with rather a notable reputation that was somewhat expounded in the (highly-excellent) film ‘The King of Kong’. That doesn’t mean to say, however, that he was a popular figure beloved by all.

Following a number of allegations (over many years), all of his records were removed from Twin Galaxies’ official website back in 2018. Specifically, due to speculation (and a decent amount of evidence) that he didn’t use official hardware to achieve some of his most recent Donkey Kong scores.

So, what was the problem with this? Well, he declared the scores as having been recorded on an original Donkey Kong arcade cabinet whereas the evidence seemed to mostly point towards him using some form of emulated or ‘non-official’ hardware. A small but major point in the cut-throat world of competitive gaming!

In order to attempt to prove his innocence, this subsequently led to his ‘Road to Redemption’ tour showcasing his (entirely legitimate) gaming skills as well as the publication of his (rather dubiously titled) ‘Evidence Package’ that looked to exonerate him. Having read it myself (all 167 pages) I must admit that it didn’t do much to sway me in his favor.

Last September, however, he started making overtures that legal action was on the way for some of his biggest critics and, specifically, Twin Galaxies for removing all of his high scores. Fast forward 6 months though and, with nothing seemingly coming, most assumed that this was just hot air.

Following official declarations made at his local court, however, it is now official. Legal action is underway and Billy Mitchell is indeed suing Twin Galaxies for $10m. It does not, however, end there!

Legal Action

As part of the legal action, several other notable people and organizations are also facing Billy Mitchell’s wrath. One such example is ‘Apollo Legend‘, a YouTuber who was one of the first to compile the detailed evidence against Billy Mitchell that he (allegedly) lied about his Donkey Kong high scores. In addition to this, the DK Forum’s owner (another group who removed his scores) is also being sued by Billy Mitchell. Unlike Twin Galaxies, however, these are only being sued for $1m a piece!

So, now you’re caught up, do you think this is weird? Well, the truth is, it’s not really. Billy Mitchell does have a moderate history of legal action and once sued Cartoon Network for an episode of ‘Regular Show’ in which (he felt) a character portrayed had used his likeness and not in a positive manner. He lost that just in case you were wondering.

With this legal action now officially filed, however, we’re in for a long and bumpy ride with this one. It is, though, surprising on two levels. Firstly that he made good on his threat of suing over this matter, but secondly that he seems confident enough to ‘double down’ on the rather slender evidence in his favor.

One can only presume that he’s acting in the hope that the sued parties will be willing to back down, retract or settle. In fairness though, although I am not a legal expert, I think the only party with (potentially) some concerns will be Twin Galaxies. Largely because they removed all of his high scores rather than just the contested Donkey Kong ones.

One thing, however, is certain. This legal action is likely not going to be advantageous to anyone. Well, not unless Billy Mitchell actually wins his $12m. (Square to doubt).

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!

Credit – Although we have independently verified the legal claims submitted, we should give thanks to the YouTube channel ‘TipsterNews’ for bringing this to our attention. A content creator we, incidentally, thoroughly recommend checking out!