Fight Night Producers Answer Fan Questions

This was posted today on the Fight Night official site:

Hey Fight Night Fans!

Okay, look, maybe we underestimated your appetite for details about Fight Night Round 4. Maybe we overestimated your desire to read anything about what the team thinks about Ali, Tyson or the sport of boxing in general. (Brizzo is still going to post more Fight Game commentaries though, he doesn't care!) Evidently, some of you are very anxious to hear some details about the game. In an effort to satisfy your hunger, we took a look at the list of questions that POETIC has been compiling in the forums and selected a bunch of the most common ones to provide a handful of answers to.  Read on and then let's blow up the comments and forums.

The Roster
When will the roster be released?
When will you guys start dropping the Roster list?
Will [insert boxer name here] be in the game?
Jeff Atienza: We will begin announcing the rest of the roster in late Feb/early March. We can tell you now it will be the biggest roster for any Fight Night game to date.
Legacy Mode
Is the Legacy Mode the same as career mode?
Is Legacy Mode another name for Career Mode or is it a deeper experience?
How in depth will the legacy mode be? In the past the career mode was kind of garbage.
Jeff: Yes, Legacy Mode is the name for Career Mode. Everybody on the team is aware of the shortcomings in FNR3's career mode. Mike Mahar and Raymond Lo are working hard to ensure Legacy Mode is a deeper and more authentic experience. It includes new training games, divisional rankings, multiple titles in each division and several other features that you will hear more about in the weeks and months to come.
Arcade or Sim
Will this be the best version of a boxing sim?
Will this be a sim game or more arcade? (sorry, gotta ask!)
Is FN4 going to be like FN3 where you could get Frazier and throw haymakers and parry all day, or does it actually require strategy?
Is the boxing going to be sim or arcadey? Please say sim!
How much will skill and strategy actually come into play when trying to win a match?
Brian Hayes: I know you've heard this before, but we've rebuilt the engine from scratch. Our goal from the outset has been to create the most realistic boxing experience to date. The gameplay mechanics and AI have all been refined and improved to create a larger variety of styles and strategies you can use to be successful inside the ring.  It's too early for us  comment specifically on all the mechanics and details, but our objectives are to deliver more variety, excitement and authenticity to gameplay.

Referee In-Game
Will there be a referee in the game?
Will we get a referee inside the ring, like in Prizefighter and will it have a more active role in the fight?
Will there be a Ref in the Ring during the Fight?
Brian: Yes, there is a Referee present for the Pre-Fight Instructions and Post-Fight Results. Any time there is a Knockdown, a Point Deduction, Fight Stoppage or Disqualification he is a part of the action too. During the second-to-second flow of the fight the Referee is not visible. This is for a couple reasons: it allows us to use those resources to draw higher quality boxers and it prevents instances where the referee gets in your way.
Ring Entrances
Will there be entourages to accompany the fighter to the ring?
Will there be authentic entrances like Prince Naseem flying in on a carpet, or Tyson sporting the white towel?
Will each boxer come to the ring wearing their belts and their robes? (this is necessary for that authentic feeling)
Brian: Unfortunately, we aren't able to recreate all the theatrics and stagecraft used by some boxers. For example, there is no riding in on a white tiger and you won't be able to perform a live rap song on a stage with back-up dancers before your fight. However, you will see much more authentic ring entrances that include the trainer, the cutman, the chief second, robes, towels and championship belts.