IMO if you want a completely customized game that involves monetization why not just create your own game? There isn't really much value to everquest IP aside from the nostalgia factor of projects like P99. And I can't imagine with all the creative tools available now adays that people creating projects like THJ are spending less time breaking everything that already exists down, reverse engineering it, and creating something new and custom is more time efficient than just building something from scratch.
Sure zone names, named mobs, and loot specifics are unique but the vast majority of the world, gameplay mechanics, ect. aren't really special or unique to Everquest and quite frankly pre-date EQ (probably 90% of mob types, image, etc can be found in D&D books amongst other games ect. that existed well before EQ).
Really the main point of differentiation between EQ and other games is the scarcity and length of time invested it takes to accomplish certain tasks or gear, an aspect that projects like THJ effectively eliminated anyway. It's not like the EQ community is some large pool of people to grift off of. You could cast a wayyyy wider net from something new that markets itself as a game for people that loved EQ, WoW, D&D, and all those types of genres/games.
Larger player base, more money to be made, no IP theft seems like a lot better way to spend your time developing a game for profit.
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