Earlier in the month, Activision promised that much more would be revealed about the next big Guitar Hero entry in a couple of weeks and today is that day, as the company officially announces Guitar Hero World Tour, formerly known as Guitar Hero IV. An onslaught of details, first in-game screenshots, and a debut trailer can all be found after the jump.

Activison today unleashed a whole lot of information on the new Guitar Hero installment, however, most of it was already unveiled piece by piece in the weeks leading up to this day. Hence, we’ve assembled a list of all the details that have been revealed before today’s official announcement:

• The game will feature a redesigned guitar, an electronic drum kit, and a microphone – all wireless and fine-tuned
• The track list will be the largest on-disc set list in a music-rhythm game to-date – all master recordings
• Van Halen, Linking Park, The Eagles, and Sublime are the bands confirmed so far
• More customization options, like the ability to create your character’s appearance, instruments, album covers, and band’s logo
• The all-new feature Music Studio offers an assortment of tools that lets you create digital music and play it in the game. This music can then be shared online through GHTunes

In addition, Activision announced that the existing online game modes from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be joined by the new Battle of the Bands mode, which allows a band of four compete against another equally-numbered band online or off, and the Band modes that include full four-player co-operative play throughout the single-player Career Mode.

Said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane:

“Guitar Hero has set the standard for music-based gaming and with Guitar Hero World Tour and the game’s groundbreaking Music Studio, we are once again delivering unprecedented innovation that has the potential to revolutionize consumer generated music, much in the same way that video sharing hubs have driven user generated video. With the introduction of our advanced high-quality new wireless instruments, in-depth customization options and advanced online functionality, the game enables music fans and gamers globally to share in the most social and expressive music experience ever.”

Guitar Hero World Tour is scheduled for release this Fall on the PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, and Wii.