How to value your Zed.Run NFTs?
Zed.Run is a crypto platform founded in Sydney by Virtually Human Studio that involves racing, training and breeding virtual racehorses. The platform features horses in neon harnesses existing as exchangeable non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Polygon, the Ethereum sidechain. All racehorses in the game are unique and are determined by their bloodline, genotype, and performance on the racetrack. The more your horse races and breeds, the more superior it becomes. In fact, Zed.Run fits into a new genre of games based on a "Play to Earn" concept.
In July, certain of the Zed.Run racehorses sold for up to $125,000 in Ethereum (ETH), with about $43 million in total sales. While some horses sold for up to five figures, many were selling for around 0.1 to 0.5 ETH. Currently, the record sale stands at $198,914.25.
Table of contents
User-Generated Content Ecosystem concept
The ecosystem of the Sandbox platform
The epicenter of the Sandbox metaverse: LAND
Considering the relevance of ASSET tokens
$SAND: the main utility token and the currency of The Sandbox's ecosystem
Closing thoughts
Project Overview
Zed.Run’s intention is to create the digital sport of the future. The smoothly designed horse races take place in an alternate dimension, on a planet called Novus Earth.
While building the prototypes, a visual effects (VFX) and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) expert has been hired by the team. For confidentiality reasons, Zed.Run did not disclose his name, but only indicated that he has worked on many well-known brands and IPs. In fact, ZED wants to explore new layers of entertainment and interaction, without constraining users to be bound just to desktop and mobile platforms.
In developing the racing features, real thoroughbreds were used as reference points and thus ZED racehorses were designed so that they perfectly replicate the behavior and nuances of their real-life counterparts. Therefore, 3D assets are being designed in preparation for a more advanced version of ZED racing in the future. Furthermore, the team hopes to bring augmented reality and virtual reality into the ZED ecosystem one day.
The core value of Zed Run racehorse
For now, let's highlight the attributes that create value for Zed Run NFT racehorses. Each horse has its own unique characteristics, ancestry and stats. More generally, there are two main criteria to look for when purchasing a racehorse. Every single racehorse in ZED possesses a bloodline and a genotype.
Bloodlines in Zed Run
Bloodlines are a key indicator in choosing a champion thoroughbred.
Bloodline indicates the genetic inheritance of a racehorse from the mother and the father. Consequently, some bloodlines have inherent special qualities that others do not. The more exclusive a bloodline is, the greater the chance of success on the racetrack and the more valuable it will be considered.
There are four bloodlines in the ZED universe: Nakamoto, Szabo, Finney and Buterin. Each of the four bloodlines holds different levels of rarity and characteristics unique to that particular racehorse and thus would have a higher economic value within the ZED community.
Nakamoto — Very Rare
As described on the Zed website, “Nakamoto is the most celebrated thoroughbred, given that they are the purest racehorses that exist within ZED and are often known as the Samurai breed.” These are the rarest of Zed Run genesis horses with only 2,000 ever to be released, representing around 5 percent of the genesis population. Within the ZED universe, Nakamotos are known for their high stamina, personality, intelligence, and most importantly, purity. This is the most valuable bloodline for racing and for breeding.
Szabo — Rare
“Szabo bloodline is considered second only to the Nakamoto in terms of rarity. The Szabo bloodline originates from the Hokkaido region of Japan.” Szabos represent about 5.26 percent of the population, and only 2,000 thoroughbred Szabos will ever be sold.
Within the ZED universe, Szbaos were originally bred for pleasure riding, but are well-equipped for racing. Additionally, Szabos are able to withstand cold temperatures, as the region they originated from is known for harsh winters. Szabos are the closest in bloodline to Nakamotos.
Finney — No So Rare
“Finney bloodline is considered the third most rare breed, yet these horses are still able to consistently perform toe-to-toe with their top-of-the-line competitors such as the Nakamoto.” There are 9,000 thoroughbreds classified as Finneys, representing 23.68% of the total thoroughbred population.
Within the ZED universe, Finneys can be difficult to train, but mating between the Nakamotos or Szabos can attenuate some challenging character traits. These horses tend to have high endurance and resiliency, as they have withstood unpleasant, balmy conditions for generations from their origins in the Middle East.
Buterin — Common
“Originating from Russia, the Buterin bloodline is known to be the most common breed of thoroughbred in the Zed ecosystem. Easily bred, these horses are naturally healthy, sturdy and quick on their feet.” About 65% are Buterins. This makes this breed the most common one, with 25,000 Zed thoroughbreds.
Within the ZED universe, Buterins were raised in Siberia, this breed is known to perform through rugged terrain, drastic temperatures, and dry conditions. Reliable build.
To sum up, Nakamoto is the rarest and most coveted bloodline, while Buterin is the most common yet most unpredictable on the track. Although the purer the bloodline, the better chance of being a good racer, however, this does not necessarily mean that the Buterins cannot beat any of the other bloodlines. The point is that thoroughbred genetics has the ability to create the next ultimate champion racehorse.
Genotype and Breed type in Zed Run
The next important attribute of a Zed horse is the breed type. ZED first-generation racehorses are known as the Genesis breed. There will only ever be 38,000 Genesis bred racehorses in the ZED ecosystem. In other words, all of the horses sold during drops from Zed Run are Genesis, which is the rarest and purest breed type. Thus, there is a fixed number of these horses - 38,000 - and once they are all sold, no more will be minted.
In total, there are six different breed types: Genesis, Legendary, Exclusive, Elite, Cross and Pacer in order of rarity.
Genotype is used to determine how far an offspring is from its ancestors. The closer a thoroughbred is to its ancestors, the more valuable it is since it retains a high degree of purity. The genotype is defined by the Zed number expressed as ZED XXX, with the "XXX" referring to a number. At the time of the Zed.Run launch, a total of 38,000 thoroughbreds were assigned from ZED 1 to ZED 10. Once again, these ZED 1 to ZED 10 are the rarest thoroughbreds that will ever exist within the ZED in terms of bloodline and genotype. The last drop, the Z10s sold out very quickly.
In substance, the lower the ZED value, the higher the purity of the thoroughbred. The ZED 1 Nakamoto are the rarest thoroughbreds that exist in terms of their genetic makeup. The platform launched in early 2019 with horses selling for as little as $30. Now, horses have sold on the secondary market for upwards of $150,000.
Additional attributes that add value
Unique or iconic racehorses names
ZED RUN racehorses with unique or iconic names are often highly sought after and are highly favored in the marketplace. Some examples of this factor have been shown in the community with a racehorse named "Ronaldo" that has been sold up multiple times just because players liked the name. Having a name that has weight, influence and some significance can increase the value.
Unique or iconic racehorses names
Racehorse’s coat colour is highly valued by players as individual coat colours reflect its rarity and collectibility.
The Colour Pyramid represents a table that classifies each of the coat colours into Colour Groups and Rarity Tiers, making it easy for players to identify a racehorse’s colour uniqueness. In total, there are seven different Coat Color Groups: Neptune, Earth, Wild, Moon, Fiery, Classic, and Mystical. Each of these color groups can affect the temperament and personality of a horse. In addition, each group is divided into three tiers: Super Rare, Rare, and Common. Full details on the color groups can be found in the Zed Run guide.
Super coat is a rare attribute that has a chance of occurring when two horses with the same coat color breed together. It can be any color variety and any color category.
Collectible skins
For example, through a partnership agreement with ATARI, unique and rare Genesis racehorses with retro style have been released - a collection of 17 unique individual NFTs to commemorate 146 years of The Preakness. To clarify, The Preakness is an American thoroughbred horse race.
Preakness race coat skins were included in each of the 15 pieces of Nakamoto's first-ever NFT art collection up for auction, creating a serious competitive buzz on OpenSea. A winning bid for the Special Edition: Zed Run x Preakness – Nakamoto Montage & Z1 Nakamoto peaked at 47.25ETH.
This special edition Preakness X Nakamoto Montage NFT comes with a Z1 Nakamoto horse with the exclusive Preakness race-coat skin to be used in Zed Run and will never be produced again.
Participating in races
Under the " Play to Earn" concept, you can participate in the races and get rewards. 12 horses participate in each race, but only the first three will receive their share of the prize pool
It costs some tokens to enter a paid race and you can see the prize pool split by hovering over the entry fee in the expanded view once you click on a race. Entry fees range from about $2.50 to over $400, depending on the Class in which you are. Winners are paid automatically soon after the race is completed and your tokens will be deposited into your Zed Run wallet.
ZEST token launching
More recently, the ZEST Play platform has become live. ZEST is distributed to users who participate and help expand the ZEST platform through a referral and rewards program.
ZEST allows new users to jump in and have fun with ZED without having any background knowledge about NFTs. Users can earn free ZEST instantly, play risk-free and engage with a Play Platform, quickly stimulating interaction and participation within the ZED ecosystem.
It is important to note that ZEST is not an investment product and that ZEST tokens will remain uncapped. Right now, ZEST is intended only for the ZED RUN ecosystem and therefore it cannot be traded or exchanged.
So, what's the purpose of ZEST?
ZEST is intended as an in-game fantasy economy. In other words, ZEST is a token to empower the community to do more inside the Zed ecosystem.
The ZEST Play Platform allows players to play the odds and predict winners of each ZED RUN race. Once the race is completed, if the racehorse you backed won, your winnings will be automatically deposited into your ZEST account. In the future, players will be able to redeem ZEST for a variety of rewards, including ZED racehorses.
Closing thoughts
Zed Run stands out in the field of digital investment opportunities. The reason is that it is one of the few active investments whose return relies on your efforts. In fact, Zed Run has succeeded in bringing together a playful gamified fantasy world with a well-established Play to Earn concept. Recently, the interest in Zed Run has increased considerably, which has caused sales to grow. The platform expects to launch more promising releases in the future, which means that the Zed.Run story is just beginning.