'Pokemon GO' server problems: Hackers take down popular game with DDOS attack

PoodleCorp, a hacking group that has previously targeted popular YouTubers such as Pewdiepie and LeafyIsHere, took down "Pokemon GO" this weekend using a DDOS attack.

On Saturday, July 16, "Pokemon GO" players across the U.S. and Europe reported that they were unable to gain access to the game or that the game was freezing.

On the same day, a hacking collective called PoodleCorp announced via Twitter that they were behind the game's technical troubles.

"PokemonGo #Offline #PoodleCorp," the group tweeted.

PoodleCorp's Twitter account also retweeted a post by another user claiming to be the group's leader.

"Just was a lil test, we will do something on a larger scale soon," Twitter user XO posted.

PoodleCorp's claim is yet to be verified.

According to the Independent, the cyber collective used a DDOS or Distributed Denial of Service to crash the game's servers. They did this by flooding the servers with requests.

"Pokemon GO," the wildly popular location-based augmented reality mobile game, also crashed earlier this month, just days after its launch. The crash was attributed to the extraordinary demand for the game.

The news of the "Pokemon GO" hack is just one of many recent "Pokemon GO"-related stories from around the world.

On Thursday, July 14, the game caused a stampede in New York City's Central Park, with players rushing to catch Vaporeon, a rare Eevee evolution. A video posted by Entertainment Weekly showed a mass of people dodging cars and running with their phones out to get to a Vaporeon that had spawned in the area.

Meanwhile, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported about a Palm Coast, Florida resident who fired shots at two teenagers outside his home after mistaking them for criminals. The pair were reportedly parked outside the man's house playing "Pokemon GO."

The teenagers were uninjured, but their car suffered damages.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office later provided safety tips for "Pokemon GO" players and their parents.

"Pokemon GO" is available on iOS and Android.