This week in games: Free copies of Crusader Kings II, Shadow of War removes loot boxes

Did you know in Crusader Kings II you can make a horse become ruler of the Roman Empire? And if that doesn't convince you to pick up a copy of the game for free this weekend, then I don't know anything that will. More details on that below, plus Assassin's Creed: Origins adds cheat codes, Shadow of War deep-sixes loot boxes, Path of Exile temporarily goes battle royale, Lawbreakers studio Boss Key starts work on a new project, and maybe some Shaquille O'Neal news too. This is gaming news for April 2 to 6. As I said up top, this week's freebie is a big one: Crusader Kings II, the massive and ever-popular grand strategy game from Paradox, is free (to own) on Steam until early Saturday, Pacific Time.