Quote Originally Posted by Griking View Post
I never really considered Donkey Kong because I thought that a platformer technically consisted of multiple screens that you can move between.
I was thinking more along the lines of any game involving jumping to and from platforms. Working with your definition, Jump Bug, also developed in Japan, predates Pitfall.

EDIT: And if anyone doesn't like Jump Bug as a platformer, then Taito's Jungle Hunt predates Pitfall too.