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.

In the year 2206, humanity left Earth. At least, some humans did. A selection of our civilization's best and brightest piled into a great big colony ship bound for the stars--for the brightest star system in Earth's sky, Sirius. A mere 8.6 light years from Earth, it was essentially like visiting an estranged neighbor. And yet it was a momentous occasion for the self-styled United Federation of Planets, now a burgeoning empire of two worlds.