PHP security flaw knocks Final Fantasy 14 and Pokémon apps offline
Umamusume: Pretty Derby was also hit, and while Pokémon HOME, Sleep and Champions are coming back, Final Fantasy 14 has stayed closed.
By GamesNewsly Desk2 min read
A serious security flaw in PHP, a widely used programming language, has caused outages across several online games. Final Fantasy 14 and Umamusume: Pretty Derby are among the games affected, and The Pokémon Company had to take Pokémon HOME, Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon Champions offline. If one of your games has been down or acting strangely, this is probably why.
What went wrong
According to Eurogamer, multiple games have faced outages and other problems after the discovery of a serious PHP vulnerability. Nintendo Life describes it as two vulnerabilities, which set off a cybersecurity alert affecting sites and apps around the world.
Because the flaw is in a popular programming language rather than in any one game, the fallout reached several unrelated companies at once.
Games and apps affected
Here is where things stand for the games named so far:
| Game or app | Status |
|---|---|
| Final Fantasy 14 | Still closed, per PC Gamer |
| Umamusume: Pretty Derby | Hit by outages and other issues |
| Pokémon HOME | Coming back online |
| Pokémon Sleep | Coming back online |
| Pokémon Champions | Coming back online |
Eurogamer says these are only some of the games affected, so other online games may also have had problems.
Pokémon apps are returning
Nintendo Life reports that The Pokémon Company was one of many organizations hit by the outage. Pokémon HOME, Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon Champions all went offline on October 21, with no end time given at first.
The good news is that the apps have started to come back. Posts on their official social media accounts suggest The Pokémon Company now has the problem under control and is working through restoring their features.
Final Fantasy 14 players wait it out
Final Fantasy 14 has had a longer wait. PC Gamer reports that the game's doors remain closed, and that some players are stepping in to keep everyone's crops alive in the meantime. As PC Gamer puts it: "No onion famine today, please."
If you play it, the game's official channels are the place to watch for word on when it reopens.
Sources
This story was drafted by the GamesNewsly AI newsroom from the sources above. Spot an error? Tell us.
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