Yes, but only in a specific sense: after a January 2024 settlement, Twin Galaxies said it would restore Billy Mitchell’s scores to an official historical database. Ars Technica reported that the scores were still absent from the site’s main, modern Donkey Kong leaderboard. The archive entry therefore did not amount to an unqualified return to current competitive standings.
What Twin Galaxies restored
On January 16, 2024, Twin Galaxies announced that it would reinstate Mitchell’s scores in what the organization called its “official historical database.” The announcement, reproduced by Ars Technica, said: “Twin Galaxies shall heretofore reinstate all of Mr. Mitchell’s scores as part of the official historical database on Twin Galaxies’ website.”
Ars described that section as a newly created archive of the original score database, copied verbatim from the system Twin Galaxies obtained in its 2014 acquisition. It was separate from the main Donkey Kong scores page, which reflected more modern adjudication decisions. The report said Mitchell’s scores did not appear on that main page.
Archive listing versus current leaderboard
| Listing | What it represents | What the January 2024 reporting established |
|---|---|---|
| Historical database | A legacy archive of the original database | Twin Galaxies said Mitchell’s scores would be reinstated there. |
| Main Donkey Kong leaderboard | The site’s more modern scoreboard, reflecting later adjudication decisions | Ars Technica reported that Mitchell’s scores were not listed there. |
These descriptions concern the database arrangement reported in January 2024; they do not establish how Twin Galaxies displays or applies its rules today.
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What the settlement did—and did not—settle publicly
The parties announced the agreement before the planned trial, but its precise terms remained confidential. Twin Galaxies attorney David Tashroudian told Ars Technica that he could not discuss those terms and called the resolution a compromise: “just like with any settlement, parties have to give and take and reach a compromise. I think the parties both did that in this case.”
Mitchell described his own reaction in a January 16 statement quoted by Ars: “I am relieved and satisfied to reach this resolution after an almost six-year ordeal and look forward to pursuing my unfinished business elsewhere.” That is Mitchell’s characterization, not a disclosure of the agreement’s terms.
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A 2025 Courthouse News Service report said Mitchell sought court enforcement amid disagreement over how the settlement should be interpreted. The agreement’s exact terms remained confidential in that account as well. The public statements do not establish a payment, an admission, or a complete reversal of Twin Galaxies’ earlier position.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the authenticity dispute remains distinct from the settlement
Mitchell sued Twin Galaxies for defamation and false light after the organization removed his scores and barred him from its leaderboards. In 2021, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the denial of Twin Galaxies’ anti-SLAPP motion because Mitchell had shown a probability of prevailing at that procedural stage. The ruling was not a trial verdict deciding that his scores were authentic. The published appellate opinion also recounts Twin Galaxies’ investigation, but its account of that investigation should not be confused with findings by the court.
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The scores and the 2018 investigation
The court opinion discusses three Donkey Kong performances: 1,047,200 points, 1,050,200 points, and 1,062,800 points. Twin Galaxies’ 2018 investigation said the recordings for the first two did not come from the direct-feed output of original, unmodified arcade hardware. For the third, the organization said the evidence was insufficient for a definitive determination at that time. Those were Twin Galaxies’ stated conclusions, not findings that the appellate court made about the recordings.
The conditional hardware explanation cited in 2024
In its 2024 statement, Twin Galaxies cited expert opinion that the recorded gameplay could depict original, unmodified hardware if that hardware was malfunctioning, likely because of degraded components. The Queensland District Court’s 2025 reasons recount both the statement and the archive placement. The wording is conditional: it describes a possible explanation, not proof that the recordings were authentic or that the dispute was resolved on its technical merits. See the court’s 2025 reasons.
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How to read the reinstatement
- It means: Twin Galaxies publicly committed to placing Mitchell’s scores in its historical database.
- It does not, by itself, mean: the scores were restored to the modern Donkey Kong leaderboard, the parties disclosed the settlement’s terms, or a court ruled that the recordings were genuine.
- The technical question remains separate: the organization cited a conditional expert explanation, while its earlier investigation had questioned the recordings’ source. The public settlement statement does not supply a final judicial determination of authenticity.
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