Billy Mitchell opens 'King of Kong' arcade at Orlando airport

by Griffin McElroy on Feb 19th 2011 7:00PM

Apparently, Billy Mitchell isn't too concerned with his portrayal as a professional bastard in the acclaimed gaming documentary, The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters. The film's star-spangled villain has opened up a "King of Kong Arcade" in the Orlando International Airport, which possesses the aesthetic charm of the film -- yet, puzzlingly, there's not a Donkey Kong arcade machine to be found within the joint.

We can't fathom why the machine is absent -- but, if we were to guess, we'd assume that Billy doesn't want his establishment to sire any more potential usurpers of the high score throne. Check out the video after the jump for a brief tour of Billy Mitchell's decidedly modern airport arcade.

Via: GamesRadar
Source: Arcade Heroes

Tags: Arcade, Billy-mitchell, Documentary, King-of-kong, Orlando

Reader Comments (67)

Funny thing... neither of them are the "King of Kong" right now.

@matthugh
It would be hilarious for someone to beat one of his scores in his place though. Knowing him though he'd have "questionable" cabinets and the scores would be non vaild.

@matthugh Yeah, but when Billy Mitchell beat the then-high score a few months back (or could been a year ago, don't remember) he stopped playing on purpose and said something about how "most people would say I'm being cocky but I say I'm being Billy Mitchell".. Because they're near the theoretical maximum possible score and he obviously wants to encourage this ongoing competition because it's good for him.

I've seen better arcades in bowling alleys...

@greatslack I agree, that place was lame. Did they not even have a donkey kong machine?

@KrazyCalvin No, they didn't. How did they forget that?

What? You can't not have a couple Kong cabinets there. Think how much money they would rake in?

I can imagine it now...

*Over the Airport PA system*

*Bing Bong*

Attention Ladies and Gentlemen: There is a kill screen coming up if anyone wants to see it. Donkey Kong kill screen for all interested customers. Thank you, and please have a nice day.

@BananaBoat
My Name Is Earl made the best reference to that momnt EVER SEEN...

@BananaBoat
*Bing Bong* I think it's George Costanza! *Bing Bong*

Guess his line of hot sauces isn't doing so well lately...

@Temidien

or maybe his hot sauce sold boatloads affording him to open up a cheap arcade

@Temidien

Yep, nothing gives you the money to open up an airport location like a failing business, right?

I don't like how they tried to vilify this dude in that movie. Stupid Hollywood.

@Typhonic True they were showing him in the worst possible manner that they could. But I don't think that they actually had to try all that hard to make him look bad.

On the other hand, I didn't really have any sympathy for anybody in that movie. Except maybe for the referee, he honestly seemed to be a guy who just wanted to do something fun and got caught up in a bunch of b.s.

@Typhonic

You DO realize Billy Mitchell had this reputation of being a world class douche long before the movie, right? A reputation he was more than willing to encourage at the Pac Man tournament Microsoft threw in honor of Pac-Man coming to Live Arcade.

@Typhonic He's an ignorant prick. What do you expect?

@baddates77 I felt sorry for Weibe's family.

@Typhonic King of Kong was anything but a Hollywood movie

@Typhonic

Whether or not this is true, I don't know, but the Director has said that they actually TONED DOWN Billy Mitchell's character. As in made him less of a villain, because otherwise the movie would have been more dark than they wanted.

@Typhonic Were you asleep in the first half of the movie when they were making him a hero?

Opening a new arcade, good.

Putting your face on the door's banner, uh.

I wouldn't go in there. I know the moment I touch that plastic gun, a dozen TSA agents will rush in, tackle me, then put on the dreaded plastic glove.

Seriously though, is this guy charging $200/game? I can't fathom how he can pay premium airport rent and keep a person behind a counter with what looks like 6 arcade games, a pinball machine, and a claw game.

What's this about $200 games?

@nandokun

You'd have to feed about that much into the machine per "life" to make that place profitable.

Apparently Billy hasn't realized that nobody cares about arcades anymore. It must really suck to live your whole life stuck in the 80s.

@Generico You clearly haven't experienced the awesomeness that can transpire within arcades.

@Generico If I am stuck in an airport and an arcade is there I am going in.

@Jack Kevorkian I agree. Long lay over and an arcade? I'll be spending at least a few bucks in there to kill time.

@EndynOmni Edit: Seems this is BEFORE security, so if you have a lay over you can't reach it.

Dang. I'm 40min from Orlando Int. airport but I don't think I'd make the drive unless I was flying... but I also sorta want to? I am going out that way next weekend...

Not worth it.

@EndynOmni

You do realize that this is MCO/Orlando International Airport right? Meaning that there aren't layovers as MCO is a destination airport. Really the only time you're stranded at the airport is when airports up north are closed due to inclement weather. I'm curious which hallway this is located in in the mall/shopping section of the airport.

Also if you're going to drive to Orlando for an arcade, don't go to MCO. Just drive to Winter Park and go to Rocky's Replay. You'll have a much better experience in a larger arcade.

So I assume he received permission from the film to use the name, Nintendo to use Mario etc. and Steve Wiebe to use his likeness? That's a lot of royalties to pay.

@DCGX I was wondering the same thing. Whose rights were approved? Do Weibe and/or the filmmakers get a share of an enterprise that wouldn't exist without them? Does Nintendo know about this?

@Mr Bungo

Well, I guess they'll know about it now.

@Mr Bungo
Kong isn't trademarked. They won a lawsuit under that stipulation. Read Game Over. (green book with wing cap mario) *great book*

@Mr Bungo - Ever enter a contest and read the small print, and see that part where it says you grant permission to use your name or likeness in promotional materials? If Billy and Steve had similar clauses in their movie contracts, that would have bundled all of that into a package that Billy could have licensed from the owners of the film. That's the "cleanest" way to get all this rolling, but there are any number of ways that this could have been legally structured. But each person, and the movie would have a right that would have to be squared away.

@ Superwoody - The lack of a trademark on the term "Kong" squares away any trademark claims with the Donkey Kong franchise, but they also have large donkey kong wall graphics in their store. That can have copyright and trade dress implications related to DK.

i think Billy played it up more than anything.

Hmmmm I wonder what kind of people he is hiring...(sign reads douches need only apply).

@When I die bury me a nerd
And the sign says "long haired douchey people need only apply".......

Wonder if Billy is selling his BBQ sauce, there in the arcade?

@Bob Aples Hot sauce. Hot like his beautiful beard.

It's interesting to note how not-very-profitable arcades are. I give this 6-12 months.

So many levels of wrong.

While passing through the Orlando airport last month, I came upon this arcade. I took a 30 second tour of the place, and was disappointed that there wasn't a Donkey Kong machine. Others have wondered how long it will last, and I would say it doesn't have a very good chance of being there for very long. The arcade is located before you get to the security area. Not sure why you'd ever put an arcade there. Poor planning all around...

Can this guy love himself any harder...?

@ShadowXIII

Let's clone him and find out.

So this guy owns a restaurant, makes hot sauce and now owns an arcade. That and he plays a 30 year old video game a lot. Yep.

I guess its better then the old, almost literal, hole in the wall arcade they used to have....but I think its all the same machines anyway.

The only thing I can say besides Ha ha Hahaha Ha is, let it go man. Youre already looked at as the biggest a hole in competitive gaming, and now youre going to try to cash in one more time off that movie by opening a cheap arcade? The most expensive thing in there has to be the paint job on the walls. All the games in there I can find in my local walmart arcade. Why would you put Donkey Kong art on the walls and Pacman i think i saw and not have either game? Why would you call your Store "The King Of Kong" if neither of you are the current record holder and again there is no DK machine in the place? Im sorry but to lure me into an arcade at the airport youre going to need more than that claw machine , generic light gun game, and that awesome racing game, you know the same one thats been out since i was about 7.

Anyone else find it funny that the guy that made the video called it "the world famous" King of Kong arcade when it just openned?

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Billy Mitchell opens 'King of Kong' arcade at Orlando airport

Reader Comments (67)

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:05PM matthugh said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 7:08PM SuperWoody64 said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 7:33PM arrrdawg said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:06PM greatslack said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 1:31AM KrazyCalvin said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 11:25AM LittleMofreaky said

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Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:11PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:37PM SheppyReturns said

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Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:19PM Typhonic said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:21PM Typhonic said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:34PM baddates77 said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:35PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:35PM Gritzor said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 8:19PM Jack Kevorkian said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 8:41PM TheDarkWayne said

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Posted: Feb 20th 2011 1:57PM nandokun said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 3:27PM LaughingTarget said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:37PM Generico said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:50PM awesomerobot said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 8:17PM Jack Kevorkian said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 10:26PM EndynOmni said

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Posted: Feb 20th 2011 12:27PM Iwa said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:37PM DCGX said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 10:12PM Mr Bungo said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 10:21PM DCGX said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 7:14PM SuperWoody64 said

Posted: Feb 21st 2011 12:15AM ludwigk said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:39PM FakeJamaican said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:45PM When I die bury me a nerd said

Posted: Feb 20th 2011 11:36AM StormEagle said

Posted: Feb 19th 2011 7:47PM Bob Aples said

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