In a rather unusual move (though certainly a positive one for players), Daybreak Games officially recognized and announced an agreement with a long-standing fan-based EverQuest emulation server: Project 1999.

Details below the jump!

The word from Daybreak Games:

If you've ever looked for people playing EverQuest on Twitch, you’ll often find fans playing on the Project 1999 servers (often referred to as just P99) and engaging with other members of the community via their Twitch chat. Project 1999 is a fan-based, not-for-profit, classic EverQuest emulation project.

The guys running Project 1999 are passionate fans of EverQuest and our work, and we’re fans of what they’ve been able to accomplish with support from the player community.

We’re proud that the EverQuest community is one of the most passionate and engaged groups of players in the gaming world. We’re glad we were able to reach an agreement with the team behind the fan-based, not-for-profit emulation project as they continue to share their love of EQ with many.

And a word from Project 1999:

It's been an exciting year for Project 1999 and we have some exciting news we've been really anxious to share with all of you. As some of you may be aware, in the past there has been both confusion and concern over the status of Project 1999. We have recently entered into a written agreement with Daybreak Game Company LLC that formally recognizes Project 1999 as a fan based, not-for-profit, classic EverQuest emulation project. The agreement establishes the guidelines that we as a project must follow, but it will allow to us continue to update the game without risk of legal repercussions. As a show of good faith to support the efforts of Daybreak Games, we have decided to reschedule our expansion release as to not conflict with the upcoming new progression server being released in the coming weeks. We would like to personally thank all the folks at Daybreak and acknowledge how awesome it is for a company to work with and embrace the creations of their fans. This is really something that's unique in the gaming industry.

Project 1999 started development in 2008 and went live in October the following year. They run one 'blue' server (regular play) and one 'red' server (PvP), and they are currently in the Kunark expansion with plans to release Velious this coming August. You can check out their website here.