About the business
Siar Interactive was established in early 2026 by Calum MacIntosh and is based in North Uist.
The studio develops story-driven video games rooted in Scottish culture and mythology, working with local artists, musicians and storytellers to create interactive, atmospheric experiences for audiences worldwide.
Its current project, Mac an t-Srònaich, is a first-person Gaelic-language adventure shaped by Hebridean folklore, which unfolds across vast moorland, blending landscape and legend in a rich storytelling adventure. The game demo will be released in Autumn, with the full game launch planned for the beginning of 2027.
Putting Gaelic language and culture front and centre, Siar Interactive aims to address the lack of authentic cultural storytelling in modern games while supporting language learning and creating new creative employment in the islands.
The Outer Hebrides has a rich culture and history that deserves to be told on a global stage, and games are a powerful way to do that. Siar Interactive is about creating experiences that are genuinely rooted in this place, its language and its stories, while also building creative opportunities here in the islands. Catherine and the Business Gateway team have been fantastic to work with and their support has been invaluable in helping us get to this point.
How Business Gateway has helped
To get the business off the ground, Calum worked with Business Gateway adviser Catherine Macdonald, who provided one-to-one support on his business plan and routes to funding. Through support the studio was able to gain grant funding from the Outer Hebrides Digital Support Scheme (OHDSS), funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and delivered by the Comhairle's Business Gateway team. The funding allowed the business to purchase the digital equipment and tools essential to developing commercially viable games and interactive experiences.