Update locks out paying users

We really like to play the game of Scrabble. Sadly, EA has made a mess of it over the years in the digital version.
Last straw: we are not upgrading to iOS 11. Shortly after that came out, Scrabble refused to launch past a mandatory update window on both iPad and iPhone. We dont want an update! we just want to use the game the way it was before.
Do Apple rules really allow developers to lock out customers who paid for their apps if they dont want to update? yuck!
Goodbye EA. Goodbye Scrabble in the digital realm. Back to the wooden tiles if I can find them.

dnnj about SCRABBLE Premium for iPad, v5.23.0