"Halo 2" was a critical and commercial success, but its development had taken a toll on Bungie. The game's development was fraught and rushed, resulting in the final act of the game's campaign being cut. Bungie was openly critical of the game's shortcomings, and viewed a third "Halo" game as a chance to "make right" to fans for "Halo 2"s problems, as well as the final "Halo" game the studio would make before moving onto other projects. Lingering dissatisfaction with Bungie's acquisition by Microsoft in 2000 and a desire for more favorable profit-sharing on "Halo 3" led to an agreement where Bungie would become an independent studio after shipping a set number of new "Halo" games.