Hero Games made their mark in 1982 with Champions - still the most popular super-hero RPG. The Hero System derived from Champions was one of the first generic game systems, and was adapted to fantasy, wild west, horror, and sci-fi game environments. Supplements included Danger International, Fantasy Hero and Cyber Hero.
Hero Games faced the challenge that they couldn't use any popular superheroes, due to Marvel and DC Comics licensing. Once the success of the game became apparent, TSR partnered with Marvel and Mayfair with DC to produce games which were largely disappointing to those who had seen the caliber of Champions, which would go on to become the model for GURPS, produced by Steve Jackson Games.
In 1996, Hero Games was purchased by R. Talsorian Games.