You can purchase an asset from The n Project by clicking here. 

You can join The n Project Discord by clicking here. 

Introduction

The NFT space is moving fast and there are projects pushing the boundaries of what is possible on the blockchain. In this article, I am going to cover a boundary-pushing project: The n Project. 

Ownership Disclosure: I own 1 asset in the project, and have minted 3 assets that are a derivative of the original (more on that later). This is a high-risk, high-reward project that has the potential to be paradigm-shifting, or it could go to zero. 

Below, I am going to cover: 

• What is The n Project?

• What are the use-cases for a string of numbers?

• Risk / Reward Breakdown 

• Key Takeaways 

What is The n Project? 

The n Project is a set of 8 randomly generated numbers between 0 and 14 that are stored on the blockchain: 

Source: Twitter 

On September 3rd, you could mint your set of numbers for free (plus Ethereum gas fees) by interacting with the project’s contract. There were just 8,888 strings of numbers offered for mint, a play on the asset containing 8 randomly generated numbers: 

Source: Opensea.io 

At its surface, it seems like people are paying large sums of ETH for a string of white numbers on a black backdrop, but there is more potential to it than that. I highlight potential because in order for this project to succeed, a community needs to build on top of the number strings and the resulting derivative projects need to have some success on the secondary market. 

This graphic from UltraMythStuff is the best explainer of value for The n Project that I’ve seen: 

Source: Twitter

The n Project was free when it launched for a reason: the numbers themselves don’t hold the value apart for some scarcity built-in for certain numbers (i.e. 0 only shows up on 36 of the assets). It is dependent upon a community to use those numbers as a foundation to create other NFTs. 

The n Project website will give you more information on scarcity of the numbers and sequences. 

This concept was based on Loot (for Adventurers), another free mint that displayed 8 words in white text on a black background and invited a community to make meaning of those words through art, the metaverse, games, and more. The current floor price for Loot is 9 ETH. 

What Are The Use-Cases for a String of Numbers?

The n Project took Loot’s concept and brought it down a level by using numbers, which some believe opens the potential for more possibilities for new projects to be seeded using the string of numbers. 

For example, I minted the below asset for ~.02 ETH (including gas) that was generated based on my numbers: 

Source: Opensea.io 

You can view the rest of the assets in the Art For N collection here. 

I also minted another asset (for free) based on my numbers: 

Source: Opensea.io 

There are numerous developers using these numbers to create art, profile pictures, animated art, and a War Card Game. 3LAU, a popular DJ, also wrote in the Discord that he is working on generative music using The n Project. 

There have also been discussions and developers working on building a N_eighborhoods metaverse where you get a plot of land base on your n holdings. 

Holding The n Project offers exclusive access to NFTs at low prices: 

Source: Twitter

It’s also an incentive for developers to build projects using the number strings: you have a built-in audience that wants to see art created using the project because it brings more value to n. 

If, and it is a big IF, it becomes common and popular to mint projects using n as a foundation, it inherently would make holding an asset in the project more valuable because you get access to these mints and can profit selling on the secondary market. 

Risk / Reward Breakdown

The n Project is exciting and could be a paradigm shift in the NFT space. If it becomes an attractive foundation to build on top of, it’s hard to put a cap on the project’s potential. 

Conversely, if developers and artists lose interest in developing on top of it, it could quickly run back to 0: 

Source: Twitter

We’re day 3 into the project and have already seen multiple new projects built on top of n and some very practical coordination in the Discord group to enable creatives to build projects using the strings of 8 numbers. 

Again, it’s a built-in audience and even with low mint prices, there’s an incentive for the creators to make early creations using n to get some visibility and initial sales. Conversely, if the supply of projects rises, a .015 mint price for each one can quickly become expensive. 

It is also very critical that the derivative projects hold some value on the secondary market. Not all need to — even just 1 derivative project that does well on the secondary market would signal that there’s value to build on top of n and to hold an asset. 

n can help new artists get their start, and if they get popular, this would create more value. 

For example, if a new artist mints first on n to get access to the audience of holders, then gets curated into Art Blocks for another project, there would likely be some value in buying their first minted projects. It’s likely there would be a sea of new artists, but just a few ones who are successful starting with n would both incentivize other artists to start there and bring value to the original pieces they minted. 

To put it simply: by holding n, I get access (think of it as a pass) to projects at a low price (if the creator decides to keep them low). I could sell my Art 4 N today at an offer of .07 (although the floor is higher) and instantly make .05 ETH. 

If Art 4 N suddenly jumped to 1 ETH or more and I decided to sell, I would have made a nice profit and still hold my pass to future projects that could have the same potential. 

If the creator behind Art 4 N makes a new project (even if it is unrelated to n) and it does well in the secondary market or makes it into Art Blocks curated, their original works would likely increase value. Other artists may see this success and also decide to start creating on n first. 

This creates an incentive for me to hold n and a reduction of supply in the market. If even a few derivative projects sell well on the secondary market, it’s likely that demand for n would go up because buyers would realize it’s more valuable than the asset itself. 

Given that we are 3 days into the project, there are a lot of “ifs” and “coulds” that haven’t been sorted out yet. Others have written that there’s no “in-between” for this project. Based on its structure, it won’t “kind of work” — it either will, or it won’t. 

There’s a lot of hype and new excitement, but the real test is what happens in a few weeks and months after it dies down. Will creators move on? Will the secondary market be worthless? 

It’s far too early to tell what will happen. I personally bought in at 0.88 ETH, which is what I could afford to lose to go on this ride to see how it plays out. 

Key Takeaways 

This project is fun and exciting, but it is also extremely risky. There are a lot of components that need to work in order for The n Project to be successful in the long term, but a community has quickly formed within the first 3 days of its release. 

To “get” this project requires a bit more understanding of the current NFT space — access to an audience, the value of derivative NFTs, community, incentives, and decentralization. By gaining a deeper understanding of The n Project (and other projects like Loot), it will help you get a better feel for the NFT landscape and how the market works. 

I’ll leave with one final point about The n Project that struck me when I saw it on Twitter:

Source: Twitter

Numbers are a universal language. After the release of Loot, other projects were spun up for native Chinese speakers, memes, poets, etc. The n Project is such a core abstraction that anyone globally can use them to produce creative works. 

Please do not spend money you can’t afford to lose, but if you do happen to invest in this project, I recommend that you stay patient and observe the creations built on top of it, as well as the market’s reaction. This project will take time to develop and grow, and will be a fun one to watch in the coming months and years.