Luke Littler has reassured fans he is not walking away from darts after sparking panic with a cryptic social media post suggesting he was stepping back from the sport.
The 18-year-old, affectionately known as The Nuke, caused a stir on Thursday afternoon when he shared a heartfelt video reflecting on his extraordinary rise over the past two seasons.
“I've had an awesome career. I couldn't ask much better for myself. You know it's been two full-on years,” Littler told followers.
“The Premier League at the age of 17 on debut, the nine darters on tele, winning the world championships at 18 – the youngest to ever do it.
“I just want to say thank you to all my fans because the last two years have been phenomenal. It'll shock some people.
"It's not been an easy decision. Now I want to focus and do something I really love.”
The message prompted widespread speculation online that the reigning world champion might be quitting the sport entirely.
Fans were quick to flood social media with messages of concern, with some fearing Littler might be burned out by the demands of the professional tour.
But now, just 24 hours later, the teenager posted a follow-up clip that revealed the ‘announcement’ was all part of a tongue-in-cheek campaign.
The video shows Littler strolling through a retirement village before bumping into fellow content creators AngryGinge and Bateson87, ending with the young star heading off to play EA Sports FC 26 on Xbox.
“Take time to do the things you love, FC26 now on Xbox,” he says with a grin – confirming to fans that his passion for darts remains intact.
The cheeky stunt has drawn mixed reactions, with many supporters relieved to learn their favourite player is not hanging up his arrows.
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Others praised Littler for his playful approach, with one fan posting on X: “Nearly gave me a heart attack, Luke! Don’t scare us like that again.”
Littler has since turned his focus back to the oche as he prepares for this weekend’s Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest.
As one of the seeded players, he will have Friday night off before returning to action on Saturday evening, where he is set to face either Joe Cullen or Lukas Wenig.
Speaking to recently, meanwhile, Littler admitted the relentless schedule is still taking some adjusting to, even after two years at the top level.
“The first year was just new to me, I was just enjoying it. This year I’m also enjoying it. I’ve won a few titles,” he told the Daily Star.
“It’s just the same old busy schedule. From about four weeks ago up until the Worlds, I’ve got two weekends off before my first game, so it’s very busy.
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Luke Littler has achieved plenty of success during the course of his darts career | PA"It’s all preparation for the Worlds.”
Littler, who became the youngest world champion in darts history in January, will be hoping the Hungarian event marks another step towards adding more silverware to his remarkable young career.
And, like many football fans, he's likely to spend plenty of time on his game console in the coming weeks.