Volume is one of the most important things for most new projects along with speculation because at least early on in the project most of investor sentiment is based on speculation of where the projects headed
I think that is why marketmaking is mandated by some exchanges; I am not sure what measure are in place by the exchange to ensure the volume but I think it was wise starting off with the major coins.
if a little enthusiast I think the project will not run well so the volume gets bigger then a project will run as desired