The Dartmoor Estate level is so grand and well written, it's hard to see how the game's other levels in the final build will top it. But we can expect each one to be even bigger than the last. "Hitman" games are top of the industry when it comes to portraying parties and massive amounts of people across believable, everyday spaces. The last two titles took Agent 47 through NASCAR-like events on massive speedways, a fashion show in Paris, a civil revolution in Mumbai and even an idyllic American suburb, all crowded with people. The "Hitman" games come closest to achieving the grandeur of the dance party scenes in films like "John Wick" and "Collateral."

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.

When developer IO Interactive separated from publisher Square Enix, it got to keep the popular Hitman franchise, giving the now-independent studio control over the 2016 stealth shooter game it developed. Back in June, the company released the first episode of Hitman for free to attract new customers, and now it's putting out a "Game of the Year" version of the game for PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 7th. The new edition will include the entire first season, a brand new'Patient Zero' campaign, new Escalation Contracts, new weapons, new suits, new challenges and improved graphic and lighting effects. IO Interactive's first new content release for Hitman since it went independent will contain all seven locations and more than 100 hours of gameplay, including all of the original Challenge Packs, Escalation & Featured Contracts and more than 700 challenges. The "Patient Zero" campaign is entirely new, too.

Lionsgate's R-rated buddy romp "The Hitman's Bodyguard," as predicted, topped the domestic box office for the second weekend in a row as Hollywood's newest releases slumped into theaters, all three opening short of $6 million. Starring Samuel L. Jackson as an imprisoned assassin who needs the help of bodyguard Ryan Reynolds, "Hitman" (which cost $30 million to make) earned $10 million this week in the U.S. and Canada for a cumulative total of $39.6 million. The action comedy, which received mixed reviews -- earning a B rating on CinemaScore but a stale 39% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes -- made $21.6 million in its opening weekend and has dropped 53% since last week. Maintaining the No. 2 spot (despite a 53% drop since last weekend) was Warner Bros' horror prequel "Anabelle: Creation." The film brought in $7.6 million in its third week for a cumulative total of $77.9 million domestically.

Japanese video game publisher Square Enix says it will part ways with the studio behind the classic franchise Hitman. In a notice to investors filed with quarterly earnings, Square Enix says it will "withdraw from the business" of studio IO Interactive, and has started talks with potential investors. "Whilst there can be no guarantees that the negotiations will be concluded successfully, they are being explored since this is in the best interests of our shareholders, the studio and the industry as a whole," reads the note from Square Enix. The publisher says the move will lead to a loss of $43 million during the fiscal year. IO Interactive is best known for the video game series Hitman, where players assume the role of assassin Agent 47. Missions require players to assassinate a target, often wearing disguises to infiltrate locations.

Japanese video game publisher Square Enix has announced that it is now parting ways with IO Interactive, the studio behind the "Hitman" franchise. Square Enix plans to sell IO to interested investors, but if an agreement isn't reached, the Danish studio might be shut down. "To maximize player satisfaction as well as market potential going forward, we are focusing our resources and energies on key franchises and studios," Square Enix said in its statement. "As a result, the Company has regrettably decided to withdraw from the business of IO Interactive A/S. a wholly-owned subsidiary and a Danish corporation, as of March 31, 2017." Square Enix assumed ownership of IO Interactive when it acquired it from Eidos Interactive back in 2009.

Organizers of the 2012 Game Developers Conference have debuted a trio of new talks in the show's Artificial Intelligence Summit, spanning games from Thief 4 through Double Fine's Happy Action Theater to Hitman: Absolution and beyond. The talks are part of a new set of AI Summit announcements featuring a look at some esoteric AI techniques, some examples of animation-driven locomotion, and how developers are making virtual characters more socially engaging. The GDC Summits will take place Monday, March 5 through Tuesday, March 6, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and will offer specialized looks into emerging or otherwise influential sectors of the games industry. This year, GDC will feature a total of eight Summits, with topics including AI, Localization, Education, Independent Games, Smartphone & Tablet Games, and Social & Online Games -- new to the show this year are the Game IT Summit and Games for Change @ GDC. The latest sessions to be added to the event's AI Summit, held on the Monday and Tuesday of the show, include the following: - More often than not, we think of AI as a series of tools that help virtual characters take action.