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Xbox was well on its way to delivering a sci-fi stylized game with plenty of exciting movement mechanics before an abrupt change of heart. The upcoming third-person shooter RPG codenamed Blackbird from ZeniMax Online Studios, which developed The Elder Scrolls Online, has been "shelved indefinitely," according to an exclusive report from Bloomberg. The report added that Xbox execs were "blown away" by the game and had "nothing but complimentary words," according to Bloomberg's sources.

The exciting new IP was expected to rival the Destiny franchise with its looter-shooter gameplay in an alien noir-themed world. The Bloomberg report revealed that a sci-fi setting would be paired with movement-based abilities like "double-jumping, air-dashing, a grappling hook and wall climbing." The project was reportedly gaining momentum recently and was set to release in 2028, after the studio expanded its team to 300 people.

Microsoft didn't provide comments to Bloomberg or any explicit reasoning why the Blackbird project was dropped. Not much was known about the game, but TrueAchievements uncovered a plot that revolves around players uncovering a notorious murder in a capital city called Exodus. Along with Blackbird, Microsoft cancelled Everwild, a fantasy game from Rare that's been in development since 2014, and a reboot of the Perfect Dark first-person shooter.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xboxs-sci-fi-looter-shooter-blackbird-was-scrapped-even-after-leaving-execs-blown-away-191305493.html?src=rss

Seagate’s 30TB Exos M is helium-filled and built for data centers, not home PCs2.5 million hours MTBF sounds great until you realize how specific this use case isThe IronWolf Pro HDD targets NAS users, not hyperscale cloud infrastructure like Exos MA new listing for Seagate’s 30TB Exos M hard disk drive has appeared online, offering what is currently the largest HDD available for under $620.ServerSupply lists the drive at $650, but applying the site’s 5% discount brings the price down to $617.50.Seagate’s Exos M (model ST30000NM004K) is a helium-sealed 3.5-inch internal hard drive built around conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology.Enterprise-grade capacity at an unexpectedly low priceWith a 7200 RPM spindle speed and a 512MB multi-segmented cache, it delivers a sustained data transfer rate of up to 275MB/s.The drive supports a SATA interface and is hot-plug capable. According to Seagate, it is designed for high-capacity use cases including hyperscale data centers, enterprise backup systems, and distributed file storage frameworks like Hadoop and Ceph.The manufacturer also reports a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2.5 million hours and an annualized failure rate of just 0.35%, suggesting this model is meant for non-stop, 24/7 operation.Additional features include PowerBalance and PowerChoice technologies for more efficient energy management, and RSA 3072 firmware verification for security.These specifications strongly indicate that the Exos M is tailored toward enterprise infrastructure, not the typical desktop setup.Another Seagate 30TB drive also appears in listings and shares many of the same core specifications. Provantage lists the IronWolf Pro ST300000NT011 HDD for a slightly higher $669.69, still an affordable price for a drive of this capacity.Although they share similarities (30TB, CMR, 7200 RPM), their firmware, vibration tolerance, and workload optimizations will likely differ because Exos is tuned for hyperscale environments, while IronWolf Pro is optimized for NAS workloads.Despite the attention-grabbing capacity, calling Seagate Exos M the best HDD depends entirely on context.For cloud infrastructure and archival storage, it may represent strong value, particularly at this price.But for everyday users, its 3.5-inch form factor, 7200 RPM speed, and enterprise-oriented feature set make it impractical.Ultimately, the Seagate Exos M is a highly specialized product, but its pricing makes it look accessible.You might also likeThese are the fastest SSDs you can buy right nowTake a look at some of the best external hard drivesInsurance group Kelly Benefits says over half a million people now affected in major data breach

XO, Kitty season 3: key information- Officially renewed in February- Filming rumored to have begun- Main cast expected to return- No official trailer released yet- Plot details remain under wraps- No news on future seasonsXO, Kitty season 3 is officially on the way.Over two seasons of Kitty Song Covey's adventures at the Korean Independent School of Seoul, we've watched her chase her dreams, explore relationships and retrace her mother's steps. And now, we're heading back to KISS for senior year.A spin-off from To All The Boys I've Loved Before, a trilogy of movies on Netflix based on Jenny Han's novels of the same name, it's an exciting standalone (with surprise crossover guest stars) on one of the best streaming services. So, it's time for some more Seoul searching!Here's what we know so far about XO, Kitty season 3's plot rumors, predicted cast and more.XO, Kitty season 3: is there a release date?A post shared by Netflix US (@netflix)A photo posted by on There's no XO, Kitty season 3 release date yet, but I can confirm that the show has officially been renewed.The announcement was made on Valentine's Day 2025 on Instagram, with Anna Cathcart – who plays Kitty – seen answering the door to some Valentine's Day gifts in an official post. Though she says: "Last time I checked, I was very single."Via a note on the flowers, Anna reads: "Roses are red, violets are blue, there's a third season of XO, Kitty in store for you". And from her gift bag, she pulls out the script for the next season wrapped up nicely in a pink ribbon ready for more drama and romance at KISS.And it appears the cast and crew may already have commenced filming. On May 18, Joshua Lee who plays Jin, posted a video on TikTok of him dancing with Regan Aliyah (Julianna) with Sasha Bhasin (Praveena) in the background. He captioned it: "Reunited w/ @regan aliyah @Sasha Bhasin in Korea for no reason at all!!" Hint, hint.There was a two-year wait between seasons 1 and 2, but something makes me think that with such a swift renewal and filming potentially in progress, we won't have to wait that long for XO, Kitty season 3. We may even be lucky enough to get it next year... Watch this space!XO, Kitty season 3: has a trailer been released? With no official release date for XO, Kitty season 3, we'll have to wait for a trailer (Image credit: Netflix)There's no XO, Kitty season 3 trailer to share just yet. For season 2, the trailer dropped a month before the show hit Netflix. So, until we have a release date, it's hard to say when we'll get a trailer.But, keep an eye out here and I'll be sure to update as soon there's any whispers of news from KISS.XO, Kitty season 3: predicted castThe main cast of XO, Kitty are expected to return (Image credit: Netflix)While XO, Kitty season 2 was full of dramatic moments, none of those involved the explosive departure of any big characters. So, I'd expect all of the main cast to return for season 3:Anna Cathcart as KittyGia Kim as YuriSang Heon Lee as Min HoChoi Min-yeong as DaeAnthony Keyvan as QPeter Thurnwald as Alex FinnertyRegan Aliyah as JuliannaSunny Oh as MiheeSasha Bhasin as PraveenaJoshua Hyunho Lee as Jin LeeJocelyn Shelfo as MadisonRyu Hanbi as EunicePeter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) from To All The Boys I've Loved Before has made crossover appearances in both XO, Kitty seasons 1 and 2. So, I'd predict we'll see him once again in season 3.Plus, XO, Kitty season 2 saw Kitty reconnecting with her family in a bid to fulfil her late mother's wishes. And while it took her to new places to meet with new people, it also reunited her with her sister, Margot (Janel Parrish), who features in the Netflix movies.And whether Audrey Huynh will return as Stella after her plan was finally exposed, we'll have to wait and see.XO, Kitty season 3: story synopsis and rumorsWill Kitty and Min Ho spend the summer together? (Image credit: Netflix)Full spoilers for XO, Kitty seasons 1 and 2 to follow.XO, Kitty is notoriously dramatic (and that's one of the reasons I love it). Season 2 was full of twists, turns and when it came down to the final moments before KISS went on summer break, Kitty finally admitted her feelings for her ex-boyfriend, Dae's, best friend, Min Ho. Phew.Yes, Kitty is at KISS for reasons that reach far beyond finding love, but what's moving halfway across the world without a bit of relationship drama? Similarly to season 1, when it comes to Kitty's love life, the season 2 finale ended on quite the cliffhanger.This time though, Kitty found herself admitting her own feelings for Min Ho (rather than the other way around) and boldly asking to accompany him and his family on their summer adventures – a music tour. Whether he took her with him though, we don't know the answer... yet.I imagine when it comes to the XO, Kitty season 3 plot, it'll pick up right where we left off. And fortunately, we also know that Kitty got her scholarship renewed, meaning she'll be returning alongside her friends after summer for her senior year.Showrunner Jessica O'Toole told Tudum: "I'm so excited to head back to Seoul for another season with our incredible cast and crew. If you thought junior year at KISS brought the drama, just wait."She added: "I know we left fans on a cliffhanger at the end of season 2, but I can promise season 3 will be worth the wait, including our first summer episode – not to mention plenty of romance, friendship, adventure... and kissing. Lots of kissing".Kitty's not the only one falling in love (Image credit: Netflix)And all that kissing might have a lot to do with all the new relationships from XO, Kitty season 2.There's Jin and Q, who will find themselves spending summer apart after Q got accepted in the USC summer training program. Then, there's Dae and Eunice, who started a romance during the talent show. However, Eunice eventually won the competition – meaning she's also heading off for the summer, but this time as an opener for Min Ho's K-pop star brother.Plus, Yuri learned a couple of hard truths as season 2 drew to a close. One, that Juliana had officially moved on with Praveena (both of whom are seemingly filming for XO, Kitty season 3). And then, finding out her family assets have been frozen due to a class action lawsuit that threatens all of Yuri's wealth.For Yuri then, life is a lot more complicated than just romance. And to further add to that drama, she also found out she had a brother, Alex, who will no doubt have a part to play in season 3.There's a lot to unpack, but in true XO, Kitty fashion I'm sure it'll be tackled with drama, crossed wires and a whole lot of love.Will there be more seasons of XO, Kitty?Will Kitty return for season 4? (Image credit: Netflix)There's no news on XO, Kitty season 4 to share just now. Why? Well, given that season 3 doesn't even have a release date, it's hard to look further beyond that.But, there is speculation that they have to give Kitty a chance to finish her final year of KISS. And that means, another season.With the focus picking up on the summer of XO, Kitty season 3, there's even a chance viewer won't even see out the full school year in the upcoming episodes. In which case, there's scope for even more than one more season.For more Netflix-based coverage, read our guides to Nobody Wants This season 2, Stranger Things season 5, The Four Seasons season 2, and One Piece season 2.

The bumper 2025 edition of Amazon's Prime Day is fast approaching and the deals are starting to emerge. While we've seen this offer pop up several times in the past, it's one that's always worth highlighting. New Audible subscribers can get three months of access to the Premium Plus plan for $3. That's a total of $42 off.

This is one of the best streaming deals around right now. It will be available until July 31, which is a few weeks after the Prime Day event ends (it could probably be called Prime Week this year since it's running for four days). If you don't cancel your Audible membership before the promotional period ends, it will automatically renew for $15 per month.

Through the Audible Premium Plus plan, you'll receive one credit each month. You can use this to claim any audiobook you like on the platform, whether it's a bestseller, new release or something else you've been meaning to get to. You'll retain access to audiobooks you claim with credits even after your subscription expires. So, you're effectively getting three audiobooks for your permanent collection for three bucks.

Audible members will be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts and sales too. They also get access to thousands of audiobooks, Audible Originals and podcasts as long as their subscription remains active.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/three-months-of-audible-is-only-3-in-this-prime-day-deal-143734246.html?src=rss