The "N-1" policy is new but strictly enforced. When Creative Cloud subscriptions first began one of the primary selling points was that you had access to every version of every app, and could choose if and when to upgrade or downgrade. Then the patent lawyers arrived, Adobe lost, and all the applications affected did indeed become "unauthorized". Your subscription may be valid, but Adobe is no longer allowed to distribute the old code. Simply using pre-2018 applications could in theory bring those lawyers to your door.
The old versions will never come back. See https://helpx.adobe.com/support/programs/support-periods.html
Adobe's native file types, with some very limited exceptions, have never been openable in earlier versions of the software - and often each program only allows down-saving by one or two increments. There are interchange formats for some types of file (e.g. EDLs for transferring edits in and out of Premiere) but After Effects is particularly nasty as nothing other than After Effects can open an AEP file, and After Effects will not save projects to anything else. Ultimately you and your clients must either use the latest versions, or switch to non-Adobe applications. There are plenty to choose from.
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