Kusama was developed by the same people who founded Polkadot (DOT) back in 2016.

Kusama (KSM) runs on its own blockchain and it currently has a price of $10.59, down from its all time high of nearly $600.

Kusama was developed as a Web 3.0 platform, and also as a testnet.

Sometimes, with some projects, the only way to check whether they're actually any good is to set them 'live', so to speak.

This is why Kusama was developed, halfway between a testnet and a mainnet.

The goal is release projects on Kusama and, if they work, do it again (and better) on Polkadot.

This is basically the equivalent of Sony developing a test video game console to try out finished video games before they're released on the PlayStation.

In fact, developers call it a 'canary' network. This is a reference to the English expression 'canary in the coal mine'.

When something is used as a canary in the coal mine, it is used as an early indicator of potential danger or failure.

On a personal note, I don't really know where the expression comes from. Presumably from the fact that a canary in a coal mine would immediately get its feathers dirty, thus indicating danger.