Google has disabled the NPAPI in Chrome 42, effectively turning off plugins such as Java and Silverlight by default. The NPAPI is an ancient API that was designed to extend the functionality of browsers. Google has taken a slow approach to this change, as there are a number of popular plugins that rely on it. In April 2015, Chrome will be phasing out NPAPI support over the coming year, when Google completely removes support for the API from the browser. Google officials say some users still rely on plugins that haven’t completed the transition yet.
Source: https://threatpost.com/google-shuts-off-npapi-in-chrome/112295/